Aug 2026· Agronomy· Vol 16, pp. 1609· 0 citations· 37 references
TL;DR
This study comprehensively elucidates the evolutionary dynamics and spatiotemporal expression profiles of the sugarcane PIP gene family and uncovers the novel pleiotropic function of ScPIP2-70 in mediating low-K+ stress tolerance, providing critical theoretical support and candidate gene resources for breeding “potassium-efficient” sugarcane cultivars via modern biotechnology.
Abstract
Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is a globally vital high-biomass sugar crop with a massive demand for potassium (K). Low-K+ stress severely restricts its yield and stress resistance. Plasma membrane intrinsic proteins (PIPs) play pivotal roles in transmembrane water transport and ion homeostasis; however, their evolutionary characteristics and molecular mechanisms underlying nutritional stress responses in the complex polyploid sugarcane remain poorly understood. In this study, genome-wide identification in the sugarcane cultivar XTT22 yielded 149 PIP gene family members (comprising 54 PIP1s and 95 PIP2s). Phylogenetic and chromosomal localization analyses demonstrated that the sugarcane PIP family underwent drastic paralogous expansion during evolution, with tandem duplication acting as the core driving force for the dramatic expansion of the PIP2 subfamily. Spatiotemporal expression profiling unveiled significant modular functional division among PIP genes, identifying a core co-expression group driving rapid early seedling elongation and a PIP2-specific expression cluster dedicated to the physiological homeostasis of mature stems. Notably, the core member ScPIP2-70 exhibited significant early-induced responses at both transcriptional and protein levels in roots under low-K+ stress. Functional complementation assays in the K+-uptake deficient yeast strain R5421 further confirmed that the heterologous expression of ScPIP2-70 effectively rescued the growth defects of yeast under low-K+ conditions, demonstrating its potential transmembrane K+ transport activity. This study not only comprehensively elucidates the evolutionary dynamics and spatiotemporal expression profiles of the sugarcane PIP gene family but also uncovers the novel pleiotropic function of ScPIP2-70 in mediating low-K+ stress tolerance, providing critical theoretical support and candidate gene resources for breeding “potassium-efficient” sugarcane cultivars via modern biotechnology.
First comprehensive characterization of the RLCK gene family in sugarcane is presented, elucidating its evolutionary features, expression dynamics and functional roles, and providing compelling evidence that ScRLCK53 modulates salt tolerance through activation of the JA signaling pathway.
Shichao Wang, Pingping Lin, Deng Wu et al.· Plant physiology and biochem...· 0 citations
Plasma membrane intrinsic proteins (PIPs) are an important subfamily of aquaporins that function as membrane channels that facilitate water transport across the plasma membrane in plants. Although the molecular mechanisms of PIPs have been extensively studied in model species, their characteristics and functions remain poorly characterized in
Caragana korshinskii
. Here, 13
CkPIP
genes were identified through genome-wide analysis. CkPIPs were clustered into PIP1 (seven members) and PIP2 (six members) subfamilies. They exhibited conserved physicochemical properties, contained cis-acting elements responsive to abiotic stresses and phytohormones, and showed evidence of segmental duplication under purifying selection. Phylogenetic, structural, and expression analyses (RNA-seq and RT-qPCR) were performed to explore their evolutionary patterns and responses to drought stress. Under drought stress,
CkPIPs
exhibited tissue-specific expression dynamics:
CkPIP1;1
,
CkPIP1;2
, and
CkPIP2;2
were prominently upregulated, indicating that they play important roles in drought adaptation. This study expands our understanding of the characteristics of the CkPIP family and provides valuable molecular insights for drought-resistance research and forage improvement.
Wen-Yu Li, Hatieti Madeti, Xinyi Liu et al.· BMC Plant Biology· 0 citations
The monosaccharide transporter (MST) family mediates soluble sugar transport and distribution, playing critical roles in plant growth, development, and fruit sugar accumulation. Citrus is a globally important fruit crop whose organoleptic quality depends heavily on sugar content. However, a systematic genome-wide analysis of MST genes in citrus is lacking. In this study, we identified 68 MST genes in the Citrus sinensis genome and classified them into seven subfamilies based on phylogenetic analysis. Chromosomal localization revealed uneven distribution across all nine chromosomes. Conserved motif, domain, and gene structure analyses further supported the evolutionary conservation and functional divergence. Syntenic analysis identified segmental duplication as the main driver for family expansion, and interspecific comparisons with Arabidopsis thaliana, Solanum lycopersicum, and Malus domestica provided evolutionary insights. Promoter cis-regulatory element analysis indicated that CsMSTs may respond to light, phytohormones, and stress signals, with several members carrying sugar-responsive elements potentially involved in sugar–acid metabolism. Moreover, by integrating soluble sugar content and transcriptome data across three fruit developmental stages, we performed a correlation analysis and identified 6 CsMST members showing high correlation with sucrose, glucose, and fructose simultaneously based on the Mantel test. qRT-PCR validation and linear correlation analysis confirmed that three of these members were significantly negatively correlated with sugar levels, whereas one was significantly positively correlated. This work provides a comprehensive characterization of the MST family in citrus and highlights candidate genes for future functional dissection of sugar transport and fruit quality improvement.
Simple Summary Sea Island cotton (Gossypium barbadense L.) is widely cultivated for its high-grade extra-long staple fiber and excellent disease resistance. However, its cultivation is increasingly threatened by soil heavy metal contamination (such as cadmium toxicity) and fungal diseases (such as Verticillium wilt caused by Verticillium dahliae). Zinc/iron-regulated transporter-like proteins (ZIPs) serve as essential membrane transporters that manage transition metal homeostasis and modulate stress responses in plants. In this study, we systematically identified 46 GbZIP genes across the G. barbadense genome and comprehensively evaluated their structural characteristics, evolutionary origin, cis-regulatory elements, and expression patterns. Transcriptional analysis demonstrated that several key GbZIP members dynamically respond to cadmium exposure, fungal infection, and their combined occurrence. These findings highlight crucial candidate genes for molecular breeding aimed at improving stress resilience and metal tolerance in premium cotton germplasm.
Ya-Hui Deng, Nan Zhao, Jidi Sun et al.· Biology· 0 citations
It is demonstrated that heterologous expression of TksPLATZ1, TksPLATZ2 and TksPLATZ7 localize to the cell nucleus and act as transcriptional activators and repressors, respectively, which enhances the tolerance of Arabidopsis to salt and osmotic stress.
Jinxian Chen, Wenhao Wu, Ming-Hua Luo et al.· Phytochemistry· 0 citations
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