TY  - EJOU
AU  - Huang, Guanpeng 
AU  - Wu, Ti 
AU  - Zheng, Yinjie 
AU  - Gu, Qiyun 
AU  - Chen, Qiaobin 
AU  - Lin, Shoukai 
AU  - Wu, Jincheng 

TI  - Genome-Wide Identification of the GST Gene Family in Loquat (<i>Eriobotrya japonica</i> Lindl.) and Their Expression under Cold Stress with ALA Pretreatment
T2  - Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany

PY  - 2024
VL  - 93
IS  - 11
SN  - 1851-5657

AB  - Loquat (<i>Eriobotrya japonica</i> Lindl.), a rare fruit native to China, has a long history of cultivation in China. Low temperature is the key factor restricting loquat growth and severely affects yield. Low temperature induces the regeneration and metabolism of reduced glutathione (GSH) to alleviate stress damage via the participation of glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) in plants. In this study, 16 GSTs were identified from the loquat genome according to their protein sequence similarity with <i>Arabidopsis</i> GSTs. On the basis of domain characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of AtGSTs, these <i>EjGSTs</i> can be divided into 4 subclasses: Phi, Theta, Tau and Zeta. The basic properties, subcellular localization, structures, motifs, chromosomal distribution and collinearity of the EjGST proteins or genes were further analyzed. Tandem and segmental gene duplications play pivotal roles in <i>EjGST</i> expansion. <i>Cis</i>-elements that respond to various hormones and stresses, especially those associated with low-temperature responsiveness, were predicted to be present in the promoters of EjGSTs. Moreover, analysis of gene expression profiles revealed that 9 of 16 <i>EjGSTs</i> may be involved in the low-temperature responsiveness of loquat leaves. In agriculture, 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), a potential multifunctional plant growth regulator, can improve the stress response of plants. Among the 9 low-temperature-responsive <i>EjGSTs</i>, the expression of <i>EjGSTU1</i> and <i>EjGSTF1</i> significantly differed under cold stress in response to exogenous 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) pretreatment. The remarkable increase in GST activity and GSH/GSSG ratio reflected the increase in the cold response ability of loquat plants caused by exogenous ALA, thereby alleviating H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> accumulation and membrane lipid preoxidation. Overall, this study provides an initial exploration of the cold tolerance function of GSTs in loquat, offering a theoretical foundation for the development of cold-resistant loquat cultivars and new antifreeze agents.
KW  - Loquat; GST; gene family; identification; gene expression; cold stress; ALA

DO  - 10.32604/phyton.2024.056484