The mini-chromosome maintenance (MCM) family, a large and functionally diverse protein family belonging to the AAA + superfamily, is essential for DNA replication in all eukaryotic organisms. The MCM2-7 form a hetero-hexameric complex which serves as licensing factor necessary to ensure the proper genomic DNA replication during the S phase of cell cycle. MCM8-10 are also associated with the DNA replication process though their roles are particularly unclear. In this study, we report an extensive in silico analysis of MCM gene family (MCM2-10) in Arabidopsis and rice. Comparative analysis of genomic distribution across eukaryotes revealed conservation of core MCMs 2-7 while MCMs 8-10 are absent in some taxa. Domain architecture analysis underlined MCM2-10 subfamily specific features. Phylogenetic analyses clustered MCMs into 9 clades as per their subfamily. Duplication events are prominent in plant MCM family, however no duplications are observed in Arabidopsis and rice MCMs. Synteny analysis among Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, Glycine max and Zea mays MCMs demonstrated orthologous relationships and duplication events. Further, estimation of synonymous and non-synonymous substitution rates illustrated evolution of MCM family under strong constraints. Expression profiling using available microarray data and qRT-PCR revealed differential expression under various stress conditions, hinting at their potential use to develop stress resilient crops. Homology modelling of Arabidopsis and rice MCM2-7 and detailed comparison with yeast MCMs identified conservation of eukaryotic specific insertions and extensions as compared to archeal MCMs. Protein-protein interaction analysis revealed an extensive network of putative interacting partners mainly involved in DNA replication and repair. The present study provides novel insights into the MCM family in Arabidopsis and rice and identifies unique features, thus opening new perspectives for further targeted analyses.

微型染色体维持 (MCM) 家族是一个大型且功能多样的蛋白质家族，属于 AAA + 超家族，对于所有真核生物的 DNA 复制至关重要。MCM2-7 形成一个异六聚体复合物，作为必要的许可因素，以确保在细胞周期的 S 期进行正确的基因组 DNA 复制。MCM8-10 也与 DNA 复制过程有关，尽管它们的作用特别不清楚。在这项研究中，我们报告了对拟南芥中 MCM 基因家族 (MCM2-10)的广泛计算机分析和米饭。真核生物基因组分布的比较分析揭示了核心 MCM 2-7 的保守性，而某些分类群中不存在 MCM 8-10。域架构分析强调了 MCM2-10 亚家族的特定特征。系统发育分析将 MCM 根据其亚科分为 9 个进化枝。重复事件在植物 MCM 家族中很突出，但在拟南芥和水稻 MCM 中没有观察到重复。拟南芥、水稻、甘氨酸和玉米的同线性分析MCM 证明了直系同源关系和重复事件。此外，同义和非同义替换率的估计说明了 MCM 家族在强约束下的演变。使用可用的微阵列数据和 qRT-PCR 进行的表达谱揭示了在各种胁迫条件下的差异表达，暗示了它们在开发抗逆作物方面的潜在用途。拟南芥和水稻 MCM2-7 的同源建模以及与酵母 MCM 的详细比较确定了与古菌 MCM 相比真核特定插​​入和延伸的保守性。蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用分析揭示了一个广泛的假定相互作用伙伴网络，主要参与 DNA 复制和修复。本研究提供了对 MCM 家族的新见解拟南芥和水稻，并确定了独特的特征，从而为进一步的有针对性的分析开辟了新的视角。