Expression Network Analysis of Abiotic Stress Responsive Myb in Rice

In post-genomic era, bioinformatic tools allow us to explore and reconstruct the precise gene interaction network. To deduce the function of uncharacterized gene, genetic network by co-regulatory analysis from an expression data is a foremost approach. In this study, we report comprehensive identification of co-expressed MYB gene modules in rice. MYB transcription factor family is involved in phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis and various other metabolic and developmental processes. By a reiterative database exploration, 249 potential OsMYB genes were retrieved. Computational analysis has shown the presence of several other functional domains including WD domain, G-beta repeat, response regulator receiver domain, BTB/POZ domain, SWIRM/Zinc finger domain and many more. Several studies have pointed out their involvement in a range of biological processes, revealing that a large number of MYB genes are transcriptionally regulated under conditions of biotic and/or abiotic stress. To investigate the existence of MYB co-regulatory network, a whole genome MYB expression study was carried out in rice. We identified the existence of co-expression clusters comprising phylogenetically related MYB genes, suggesting that specific sets of MYB genes might act in co-regulatory network. Thus, the co-expression networks identified in this study illustrate gene cooperation pathways that have not been identified by classical genetic.