Mengmeng Yin^1,2,4 , Fan Luo^1,2,4 , Xiaoli Zhou^1,2,4 , Changhe Wei⁵ , Qian Zhu^1,2,3 , Hui Zhang^2,3 , Dong Sun Lee^1,2,3 , Lijuan Chen^1,2,3

1 State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, 650201, Yunnan, China
2 The Key Laboratory for Crop Production and Smart Agriculture of Yunnan Province, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, 650201, Yunnan, China
3 Rice Research Institute, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, 650201, Yunnan, China
4 College of Agricultural Science, Xichang University, Xichang, 615013, Sichuan, China
5 Panxi Crops Research and Utilization Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Xichang University, Xichang, 615013, Sichuan, China
Author    Correspondence author
Genomics and Applied Biology, 2024, Vol. 15, No. 4   
Received: 27 Jun., 2024    Accepted: 04 Aug., 2024    Published: 17 Aug., 2024

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

This review provides a comprehensive identification and characterization of the R2R3-MYB gene family in colored rice (Oryza sativa L.), offering significant insights into their evolutionary relationships, structural features, and expression profiles. Notable findings include the distinctive structural characteristics of R2R3-MYB genes, such as the high prevalence of non-synonymous substitutions in the DNA-binding domains, particularly in the α-helix regions. This suggests adaptive selection and functional diversification. The phylogenetic analysis revealed the existence of distinct clades that correspond to different evolutionary lineages. Of particular interest is a key clade that is closely related to the ancestral species, wild rice (O. rufipogon and O. nivara), which indicates the conservation of evolutionary lineages. The expression patterns of R2R3-MYB genes were found to be specific to different tissues and developmentally regulated, with specialized roles in photosynthesis-related processes and root development. Furthermore, the study underscores the functional roles of R2R3-MYB genes in anthocyanin biosynthesis. Genes such as OsC1 and OsKala3 play pivotal roles in modulating the expression of anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway genes, thereby contributing to the distinctive purple pigmentation and associated health benefits of purple rice. Furthermore, the case study of OsMYB30 and OsMYB60 illustrates their pivotal roles in plant defense mechanisms and leaf morphology, respectively. The insights gained from this review have significant implications for the breeding and genetic engineering of colored rice, emphasizing the potential for improving agronomic traits and enhancing crop performance through targeted manipulation of R2R3-MYB genes.

Colored rice; R2R3-MYB genes; Phylogenetic analysis; Gene expression analysis; Anthocyanin biosynthesis