功能基因表达是连接基因编码信息与蛋白质产物的一个基本生命过程, 基因表达水平被视为介于基因型与表现型之间的一种数量性状, 在植物应对气候和环境变化时发挥重要作用。本文首先系统评述了植物基因表达调控因子和试验证据, 包括转录因子和小RNA等在基因表达调控中的作用。其次, 探讨了由基因表达数据进行的GWAS分析估计调控因子基因的eQTLs位置以及该方法的局限性。随后从理论上分析了在突变、漂变、选择和迁移过程下的种内基因表达变异与检验方法, 在突变-漂变过程下和在基于系统发育树的漂变-选择过程下的种间基因表达进化与检测方法。最后, 探讨了植物交配系统对基因表达进化的调控, 自交降低了有效群体大小、突变率、基因重组及外源花粉竞争, 改变了配子和合子阶段自然选择功效等, 间接地调控种内基因表达变异和种间基因表达进化。全文综合评述了目前理论和实际研究进展及存在的问题, 这些有助于深入理解植物基因表达调控和进化机制。

Functional gene expression is a basic life process that connects coding information of a gene to protein products. The level of gene expression is considered as a quantitative trait between genotype and phenotype and plays an important role in plants response to climatic and environmental changes. First, this review systematically comments on regulatory elements of gene expression in plant species and empirical evidence, including the effects of transcription factors and small RNAs on gene expression regulation. Secondly, this review discusses the eQTLs mapping for regulatory elements of gene expression through gene expression-based GWAS analysis and the limitations of this method. This review then analyzes the intraspecific variation of gene expression in theory under the processes of mutation, drift and selection and the testing methods. The review also analyzes the interspecific evolution of gene expression under the mutation and drift processes or under the phylogeny-based drift-selection processes, and the testing methods. Finally, the review discusses the regulation of gene expression by plant mating system. Selfing reduces effective population size, mutation rate, recombination rate and the competition from exogenous pollen, and changes the efficacy of natural selection in gametophytic and sporophytic phases. Selfing regulates intraspecific gene expression variation and interspecific gene expression evolution. The whole review comprehensively comments on theoretical and practical research progress and existing questions, which aids in our deep understanding of plant gene expression regulation and evolution mechanisms.