Evolution of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase protein family from algae to angiosperm

Abstract

Phenylpropanes, the precursors of various phenolic compounds in plants, are widely distributed. Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) is the main enzyme that catalyzes the early step of the phenylpropanoid pathway to generate trans-cinnamic acid, which is the common precursor for the lignin and flavonoid biosynthetic pathways. Therefore, in this study, we focused on PAL evolution. A total of 584 PAL-like protein sequences were obtained, and only two PAL-like genes were found in algae, primary. Three main groups are separated by their different evolutionary stages. Group I mainly cluster ancient plants, and groups II and III are formed by angiosperms, which separate monocots (group II) and eudicots (group III). According to the sequence alignment, five main differences in amino acids may correlate with this separation, which involve the change of amino acid phosphorylation. The prediction analysis of GO and KEGG annotation information of each PAL protein showed that the proteins were clustered in cytoplasm and correlated with phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity. Our results suggested that the PAL enzyme family expanded alongside the development of vascular tissues and underwent duplication events that facilitated gene cluster expansion and phenotypic diversity. Analysis of a reassembled and publicly available gene database confirmed that only two PAL genes were present in algae, whereas land plants possess a significantly greater number of PAL-like genes. This expansion is closely of PAL genes in land plants is closely associated with gene duplication events occurring at various evolutionary stages after algae plants. Futhermore, investigation into miRNAs revealed limited specificity across the plant evolution spectrum, with their primary role being the regulation and modulation of gene function. Additionally, analysis of PAL proteins across the plant kingdom ultimately elucidates that the evolution of their functions is intricately linked to the widespread distribution of cis-acting elements. This evolutionary trajectory reflected the natural selection processes that plants had undergone over time to enhance their eadaptability to diverse environments. These findings provide a valuable reference for future research into the functional evolution of PAL genes and their role in .plant adaptation and phenotypic diversity.