Genome-Wide Identification, In Silico Analysis and Expression Profiling of SWEET Gene Family in Loquat ( Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.)

Binqi Li, Muhammad Moaaz Ali (), Tianxin Guo, Shariq Mahmood Alam, Shaista Gull, Junaid Iftikhar, Ahmed Fathy Yousef, Walid F. A. Mosa and Faxing Chen ()
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Binqi Li: College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Muhammad Moaaz Ali: College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Tianxin Guo: College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Shariq Mahmood Alam: Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (Ministry of Education), College of Horticulture & Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
Shaista Gull: Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 66000, Pakistan
Junaid Iftikhar: College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Ahmed Fathy Yousef: Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, University of Al-Azhar (Branch Assiut), Assiut 71524, Egypt
Walid F. A. Mosa: Plant Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture Saba Basha, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21531, Egypt
Faxing Chen: College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 9, 1-17

Abstract: SWEETs (sugars will eventually be exported transporters) have various physiological and biochemical roles in plant growth, including pollen development, seed nourishment, nectar secretion, and longer-distance sugar transportation. The SWEET genes were identified in various plant species, but they have not yet been thoroughly characterized. Here, we discovered 21 putative SWEET genes from the Eriobotrya japonica Lindl. genome. For further elucidation, comprehensive bioinformatics analysis was utilized to determine the physicochemical properties, gene organization, conserved motifs, cis -regulatory elements, gene duplication, and phylogenetic relationships of EjSWEET genes. Most of the SWEET proteins were predicted to be located on the plasma membrane or vacuole. Gene organization and motif analysis showed that the numbers of exons and motifs in each gene ranged strikingly, between 5 and 6 and between 5 and 8, respectively. Synteny analysis showed that the tandem or segmental duplication played a dynamic role in the evolution of SWEET genes in loquat. Likewise, we analyzed the expression patterns of EjSWEET genes in the root, stem, leaf, flower, and fruit of loquat. Some genes exhibited varying expression in loquat tissues, indicating their potential roles in plant development. The relative expression levels of EjSWEET1 , EjSWEET3 , and EjSWEET16 were noticeably higher in ripened fruits, suggesting their possible role in the transportation and unloading of sugars in fruits. The present study provides initial genome-wide identification and characterization of the SWEET gene family in loquat and lays the foundation for their further functional analysis.

Keywords: sugar transporters; gene expression; Rosaceae; bioinformatics; phylogeny; tandem (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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