Genome-Wide Analysis of Genes Involved in the GA Signal Transduction Pathway in ‘<i>duli</i>’ Pear (<i>Pyrus betulifolia</i> Bunge)

Gibberellic acid (GA) is an important phytohormone that regulates every aspect of plant growth and development. While elements involved in GA signaling have been identified and, hence, their functions have been well studied in model plants, such as Arabidopsis and rice, very little is known in pear....

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Pingli Song, Gang Li, Jianfeng Xu, Qingcui Ma, Baoxiu Qi, Yuxing Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-06-01
Series:International Journal of Molecular Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/12/6570
Description
Summary:Gibberellic acid (GA) is an important phytohormone that regulates every aspect of plant growth and development. While elements involved in GA signaling have been identified and, hence, their functions have been well studied in model plants, such as Arabidopsis and rice, very little is known in pear. We, therefore, analyzed the genes related to GA signaling from the recently sequenced genome of the wildtype ‘<i>duli</i>’ pear (<i>Pyrus betulifolia</i> Bunge), a widely used rootstock for grafting in pear cultivation in China due to its vigorous growth and resistance to abiotic and biotic stress. In total, 15 genes were identified, including five GA receptors <i>PbGID1s</i> (<i>GA-INSENSTIVE DWARF 1</i>), six GA negative regulators, <i>PbDELLAs</i>, and four GA positive regulators, <i>PbSLYs</i>. Exogenous application of GA could promote the expression of <i>PbGID1s</i> but inhibit that of <i>PbDELLAs</i> and <i>PbSLYs</i> in tissue culture ‘<i>duli</i>’ pear seedlings. The expression profiles of these genes in field-grown trees under normal growth conditions, as well as in tissue-cultured seedlings treated with auxin (IAA), GA, paclobutrazol (PAC), abscisic acid (ABA), and sodium chloride (NaCl), were also studied, providing further evidence of the involvement of these genes in GA signaling in ‘<i>duli</i>’ pear plants. The preliminary results obtained in this report lay a good foundation for future research into GA signaling pathways in pear. Importantly, the identification and preliminary functional verification of these genes could guide molecular breeding in order to obtain the highly desired dwarf pear rootstocks for high-density plantation to aid easy orchard management and high yielding of pear fruits.
ISSN:1661-6596
1422-0067