Revising the PLAC8 gene family: from a central role in differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis in mammals to a multifunctional role in plants

PLAC8 is a cysteine-rich protein described as a central mediator of tumor evolution in mammals; as such, it represents a promising candidate for diagnostic and therapeutic targeting. The human PLAC8 gene is also involved in contact hypersensitivity response and presents a role in psoriatic skin. In plants, PLAC8 motif-containing proteins are involved in the determination of organ size and growth, response to infection, Ca 2+ influx, Cd resistance, and zinc detoxification. In general, PLAC8 motif-containing proteins present the conserved CCXXXXCPC or CLXXXXCPC region. However, there is no devised nomenclature for the PLAC8 motif-containing proteins. Here, through the analysis of 445 sequences, we show that PLAC8 motif-containing proteins constitute a unique gene family, and we propose a unified nomenclature. This is the first report indicating the existence of different groups of PLAC8 proteins, which we have called types I, II, and III. Type I genes are found in mammals, fungi, plants, and algae, and types II and III are exclusive to plants. Our study describes for the first time PLAC8 type III proteins. Whether these sequences maintain their known functional role or possess distinct functions of types I and II genes remains unclear.