Identification and expression analysis of the sucrose synthase gene family in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.)

Background Sucrose synthase (SUS, EC 2.4.1.13) is one of the major enzymes of sucrose metabolism in higher plants. It has been associated with C allocation, biomass accumulation, and sink strength. The SUS gene families have been broadly explored and characterized in a number of plants. The pomegran...

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Main Authors: Longbo Liu, Jie Zheng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: PeerJ Inc. 2022-01-01
Series:PeerJ
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Online Access:https://peerj.com/articles/12814.pdf
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author Longbo Liu
Jie Zheng
author_facet Longbo Liu
Jie Zheng
author_sort Longbo Liu
collection DOAJ
description Background Sucrose synthase (SUS, EC 2.4.1.13) is one of the major enzymes of sucrose metabolism in higher plants. It has been associated with C allocation, biomass accumulation, and sink strength. The SUS gene families have been broadly explored and characterized in a number of plants. The pomegranate (Punica granatum) genome is known, however, it lacks a comprehensive study on its SUS genes family. Methods PgSUS genes were identified from the pomegranate genome using a genome-wide search method. The PgSUS gene family was comprehensively analyzed by physicochemical properties, evolutionary relationship, gene structure, conserved motifs and domains, protein structure, syntenic relationships, and cis-acting elements using bioinformatics methods. The expression pattern of the PgSUS gene in different organs and fruit development stages were assayed with RNA-seq obtained from the NCBI SRA database as well as real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Results Five pomegranate SUS genes, located on four different chromosomes, were divided into three subgroupsaccording to the classification of other seven species. The PgSUS family was found to be highly conserved during evolution after studying the gene structure, motifs, and domain analysis. Furthermore, the predicted PgSUS proteins showed similar secondary and tertiary structures. Syntenic analysis demonstrated that four PgSUS genes showed syntenic relationships with four species, with the exception of PgSUS2. Predictive promoter analysis indicated that PgSUS genes may be responsive to light, hormone signaling, and stress stimulation. RNA-seq analysis revealed that PgSUS1/3/4 were highly expressed in sink organs, including the root, flower, and fruit, and particularly in the outer seed coats. qPCR analysis showed also that PgSUS1, PgSUS3, and PgSUS4 were remarkably expressed during fruit seed coat development. Our results provide a systematic overview of the PgSUS gene family in pomegranate, developing the framework for further research and use of functional PgSUS genes.
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spelling doaj.art-a1f173efad4e42309814059b644fb0f12023-12-03T11:33:05ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592022-01-0110e1281410.7717/peerj.12814Identification and expression analysis of the sucrose synthase gene family in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.)Longbo Liu0Jie Zheng1School of Life Science, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei, Anhui, ChinaSchool of Life Science, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei, Anhui, ChinaBackground Sucrose synthase (SUS, EC 2.4.1.13) is one of the major enzymes of sucrose metabolism in higher plants. It has been associated with C allocation, biomass accumulation, and sink strength. The SUS gene families have been broadly explored and characterized in a number of plants. The pomegranate (Punica granatum) genome is known, however, it lacks a comprehensive study on its SUS genes family. Methods PgSUS genes were identified from the pomegranate genome using a genome-wide search method. The PgSUS gene family was comprehensively analyzed by physicochemical properties, evolutionary relationship, gene structure, conserved motifs and domains, protein structure, syntenic relationships, and cis-acting elements using bioinformatics methods. The expression pattern of the PgSUS gene in different organs and fruit development stages were assayed with RNA-seq obtained from the NCBI SRA database as well as real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Results Five pomegranate SUS genes, located on four different chromosomes, were divided into three subgroupsaccording to the classification of other seven species. The PgSUS family was found to be highly conserved during evolution after studying the gene structure, motifs, and domain analysis. Furthermore, the predicted PgSUS proteins showed similar secondary and tertiary structures. Syntenic analysis demonstrated that four PgSUS genes showed syntenic relationships with four species, with the exception of PgSUS2. Predictive promoter analysis indicated that PgSUS genes may be responsive to light, hormone signaling, and stress stimulation. RNA-seq analysis revealed that PgSUS1/3/4 were highly expressed in sink organs, including the root, flower, and fruit, and particularly in the outer seed coats. qPCR analysis showed also that PgSUS1, PgSUS3, and PgSUS4 were remarkably expressed during fruit seed coat development. Our results provide a systematic overview of the PgSUS gene family in pomegranate, developing the framework for further research and use of functional PgSUS genes.https://peerj.com/articles/12814.pdfPomegranateSUSGenome-wide analysisPhylogenetic analysisExpression patternsSink organ
spellingShingle Longbo Liu
Jie Zheng
Identification and expression analysis of the sucrose synthase gene family in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.)
PeerJ
Pomegranate
SUS
Genome-wide analysis
Phylogenetic analysis
Expression patterns
Sink organ
title Identification and expression analysis of the sucrose synthase gene family in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.)
title_full Identification and expression analysis of the sucrose synthase gene family in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.)
title_fullStr Identification and expression analysis of the sucrose synthase gene family in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.)
title_full_unstemmed Identification and expression analysis of the sucrose synthase gene family in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.)
title_short Identification and expression analysis of the sucrose synthase gene family in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.)
title_sort identification and expression analysis of the sucrose synthase gene family in pomegranate punica granatum l
topic Pomegranate
SUS
Genome-wide analysis
Phylogenetic analysis
Expression patterns
Sink organ
url https://peerj.com/articles/12814.pdf
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