Integration of latex protein sequence data provides comprehensive functional overview of latex proteins

The laticiferous system is one of the most important conduit systems in higher plants, which produces a milky-like sap known as latex. Latex contains diverse secondary metabolites with various ecological functions. To obtain a comprehensive overview of the latex proteome, we integrated available latex proteins sequences and constructed a comprehensive dataset composed of 1,208 non-redundant latex proteins from 20 various latex-bearing plants. The results of functional analyses revealed that latex proteins are involved in various biological processes, including transcription, translation, protein degradation and the plant response to environmental stimuli. The results of the comparative analysis showed that the functions of the latex proteins are similar to those of phloem, suggesting the functional conservation of plant vascular proteins. The presence of latex proteins in mitochondria and plastids suggests the production of diverse secondary metabolites. Furthermore, using a BLAST search, we identified 854 homologous latex proteins in eight plant species, including three latex-bearing plants, such as papaya, caster bean and cassava, suggesting that latex proteins were newly evolved in vascular plants. Taken together, this study is the largest and most comprehensive in silico analysis of the latex proteome. The results obtained here provide useful resources and information for characterizing the evolution of the latex proteome.