Heavy Metal Transporters-Associated Proteins in <i>Solanum tuberosum</i>: Genome-Wide Identification, Comprehensive Gene Feature, Evolution and Expression Analysis

Plants have evolved a number of defense and adaptation responses to protect themselves against challenging environmental stresses. Genes containing a heavy metal associated (HMA) domain are required for the spatiotemporal transportation of metal ions that bind with various enzymes and co-factors wit...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Guandi He, Lijun Qin, Weijun Tian, Lulu Meng, Tengbing He, Degang Zhao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-10-01
Series:Genes
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/11/11/1269
Description
Summary:Plants have evolved a number of defense and adaptation responses to protect themselves against challenging environmental stresses. Genes containing a heavy metal associated (HMA) domain are required for the spatiotemporal transportation of metal ions that bind with various enzymes and co-factors within the cell. To uncover the underlying mechanisms mediated by <i>StHMA</i> genes, we identified 36 gene members in the StHMA family and divided them into six subfamilies by phylogenetic analysis. The <i>StHMA</i>s had high collinearity and were segmentally duplicated. Structurally, most StHMAs had one HMA domain, StHIPPc and StRNA1 subfamilies had two, and 13 StHMAs may be genetically variable. The StHMA gene structures and motifs varied considerably among the various classifications, this suggests the StHMA family is diverse in genetic functions. The promoter analysis showed that the <i>StHMA</i>s had six main cis-acting elements with abiotic stress. An expression pattern analysis revealed that the <i>StHMA</i>s were expressed tissue specifically, and a variety of abiotic stresses may induce the expression of StHMA family genes. The HMA transporter family may be regulated and expressed by a series of complex signal networks under abiotic stress. The results of this study may help to establish a theoretical foundation for further research investigating the functions of HMA genes in <i>Solanum tuberosum</i> to elucidate their regulatory role in the mechanism governing the response of plants to abiotic stress.
ISSN:2073-4425