Comparative in silico analysis of WRINKLED 1 paralogs in angiosperms

WRINKLED 1(WRI1), a member of AP2/EREBP class of transcription factors regulates carbon allocation between glycolytic and fatty acid biosynthetic pathway. Additionally, among the four WRI1 paralogs in arabidopsis, WRI3 and 4 but not WRI2, are also able to increase fatty acid content in different tissues. While the role of WRI1 is well established in seeds, the potential or WRI1 or its paralogs as master regulators in oil-rich nonseed tissues is poorly understood. Recent transcriptome studies of avocado (Persea americana) mesocarp revealed that the ortholog of WRI2, along with WRI1 and WRI3 was highly expressed during oil accumulation. Through transient expression assays, we further demonstrated that both PaWRI1 and PaWRI2 can accumulate oil in tobacco leaves. We conducted a comprehensive and comparative in silico analysis of WRI paralogs from a dicot, monocot and a basal angiosperm to identify distinct features associated with function. These data provide insights into the possible evolutionary changes in WRI1 homologs and allow for identification of new targets to enhance oil biosynthesis in diverse tissues