Evolution and functional divergence of MADS-box genes in Pyrus

MADS-box transcription factors widely regulate all aspects of plant growth including development and reproduction. Although the MADS-box gene family genes have been extensively characterized in many plants, they have not been studied in closely related species. In this study, 73 and 74 MADS-box genes were identified in European pear (Pyrus communis) and Chinese pear (Pyrus bretschneideri), respectively. Based on the phylogenetic relationship, these genes could be clustered into five groups (Mα, Mβ, Mr, MIKCC, MIKC*) and the MIKCC group was further categorized into 10 subfamilies. The distribution of MADS-box genes on each chromosome was significantly nonrandom. Thirty-seven orthologs, twenty-five PcpMADS (P. communis MADS-box) paralogs and nineteen PbrMADS (P. bretschneideri MADS-box) paralogs were predicted. Among these paralogous genes, two pairs arose from tandem duplications (TD), nineteen from segmental duplication (SD) events and twenty-three from whole genome duplication (WGD) events, indicating SD/WGD events led to the expansion of MADS-box gene family. The MADS-box genes expression profiles in pear fruits indicated functional divergence and neo-functionalization or sub-functionalization of some orthologous genes originated from a common ancestor. This study provided a useful reference for further analysis the mechanisms of species differentiation and biodiversity formation among closely related species.