Search Results (3)

As a great economic Solanum with ornamental value and good adaptability, Solanum aculeatissimum is considered an excellent candidate for the phytoremediation of Cadmium-contaminated soils. However, there are no studies on the involvement of S. aculeatissimum in the response and tolerance mechanisms of cadmium (Cd) stress. In the present study, S. aculeatissimum was used for the first time for physiological and transcriptomic systematic analysis under different concentrations of Cd stress. The results showed that S. aculeatissimum was indeed well tolerant to Cd and showed Cd enrichment capabilities. Under the Cd stress treatment of 50 mg/kg (Cd6), S. aculeatissimum could still grow normally. At the 90th day of Cd stress, the amount of Cd content in different parts of the plant at the same concentration was in the order of root > stem > leaf. With the extension of the stress time up to 163 d, the trend of Cd content in each part was not consistent, and the results in the root (77.74 mg/kg), stem (30.01 mg/kg), leaf (29.44 mg/kg), immature fruit (18.36 mg/kg), and mature fruit (21.13 mg/kg) of Cd peaked at Cd4, Cd5, Cd1, Cd4, and Cd4, respectively. The enrichment and transport coefficients of all treatments were greater than 1. The treatment groups with the largest and smallest enrichment coefficients were Cd4 and CK, respectively. The treatment groups with the largest and smallest transport coefficients were CK and Cd4, respectively. Malondialdehyde (MDA), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) in the antioxidant system after Cd stress treatment were significantly increased compared to the untreated group. Under cadmium stress, by using real-time quantitative PCR, four genes (SaHMA20, SaL-AO, SaPrxs4, and SaPCs) were screened for possible correlations to Cd tolerance and absorption enrichment in S. aculeatissimum. The key DEGs are mainly responsible for the metabolic pathways of heavy metal ATPases, plastocyanin protein phytocyanins (PCs), peroxidases (Prxs), and ascorbate oxidase (AAO); these differential genes are believed to play an important role in Cd tolerance and absorption enrichment in S. aculeatissimum. Full article

Phytocyanins (PCs), plant-specific blue copper proteins, are crucial for various biological processes during plant development. However, a comprehensive characterization of the soybean PC gene family (GmPC) is lacking. In this study, we performed genome-wide screening of soybean PC genes, and 90 PC genes were identified in the soybean genome. Further analysis revealed that the GmPC family was categorized into four subfamilies (stellacyanins, GmSCs; uclacyanins, GmUCs; plantacyanins, GmPLCs; and early nodulin-like proteins, GmENODLs). In-depth analysis revealed that each specific GmPC subfamily exhibited similar characteristics, with segmental duplications playing a major role in expanding the members of GmPC. Additionally, synteny and evolutionary constraint analyses suggested that GmPCs have undergone strong selective pressure for purification during the evolution of soybeans. The promoter cis-regulatory elements analysis of GmPCs suggested that GmPCs might play a crucial role in various stress responses. The expression patterns of GmPCs exhibited tissue-specific variations. Moreover, 23 of the GmPCs may be involved in soybean’s response to salt stress. In all, our study presents a systematic overview of GmPC, which not only provides a valuable foundation for further functional investigations of GmPCs, but also offers new insights into the mechanism of soybean salt tolerance. Full article

Phytocyanins (PCs) are a class of plant-specific blue copper proteins that have been demonstrated to play a role in electron transport and plant development. Through analysis of the copper ligand residues, spectroscopic properties, and domain architecture of the protein, PCs have been grouped into four subfamilies: uclacyanins (UCs), stellacyanins (SCs), plantacyanins (PLCs), and early nodulin-like proteins (ENODLs). The present study aimed to identify and characterise the PCs present in three distinct cotton species (Gossypium hirsutum, Gossyium arboreum, and Gossypium raimondii) through the identification of 98, 63, and 69 genes respectively. We grouped PCs into four clades by using bioinformatics analysis and sequence alignment, which exhibit variations in gene structure and motif distribution. PCs are distributed across all chromosomes in each of the three species, with varying numbers of exons per gene and multiple conserved motifs, and with a minimum of 1 and maximum of 11 exons found on one gene. Transcriptomic data and qRT-PCR analysis revealed that two highly differentiated PC genes were expressed at the fibre initiation stage, while three highly differentiated PCs were expressed at the fibre elongation stage. These findings serve as a foundation for further investigations aimed at understanding the contribution of this gene family in cotton fibre production. Full article