Identification and evolution of C4 photosynthetic pathway genes in plants

Background NADP-malic enzyme (NAPD-ME), and pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase (PPDK) are important enzymes that participate in C-4 photosynthesis. However, the evolutionary history and forces driving evolution of these genes in C-4 plants are not completely understood. Results We identified 162 NADP-ME and 35 PPDK genes in 25 species and constructed respective phylogenetic trees. We classified NADP-ME genes into four branches, A1, A2, B1 and B2, whereas PPDK was classified into two branches in which monocots were in branch I and dicots were in branch II. Analyses of selective pressure on the NAPD-ME and PPDK gene families identified four positively selected sites, including 94H and 196H in the a5 branch of NADP-ME, and 95A and 559E in the e branch of PPDK at posterior probability thresholds of 95%. The positively selected sites were located in the helix and sheet regions. Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) analyses revealed that expression levels of 6 NADP-ME and 2 PPDK genes from foxtail millet were up-regulated after exposure to light. Conclusion This study revealed that positively selected sites of NADP-ME and PPDK evolution in C-4 plants. It provides information on the classification and positive selection of plant NADP-ME and PPDK genes, and the results should be useful in further research on the evolutionary history of C-4 plants.