Abstract:

Actins are structural proteins widely distributed in eukaryotes. In plants, the actin cytoskeleton plays an essential role in many cellular processes including cell division and cytoplasmic streaming. Study of the ACTIN gene family is important for understanding the mechanism of these processes. In this study, bioinformatics analysis identified 20, 18 and 22 ACTIN genes respectively in arabidopsis, rice and poplar. A comprehensive overview of this gene family is presented, including chromosome distribution, gene structure, gene duplication, phylogeny, and conserved motifs. The plant ACTINs are organized into 12 subfamilies based on phylogenetic relationship. These results provide clues for study of gene family evolution, and serve as a solid base for future functional genomic studies of the ACTIN gene families in plants.

Key words: arabidopsis thaliana; oryza sativa; populus trichocarpa; ACTIN gene family