Abstract
Amino acid transporters (AATs) are integral membrane proteins and have several functions, including transporting amino acids across cellular membranes. They are critical for plant growth and development. This study comprehensively identified AAT-encoding genes in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), which is an important vegetable crop and serves as a model for fleshy fruit development. In this study, 88 genes were identified in the S. lycopersicum genome and grouped into 12 subfamilies, based on previously identified AATs in Arabidopsis, rice (Oryza sativa), and potato (Solanum tuberosum) plants. Chromosomal localization revealed that S. lycopersicum AAT (SlAAT) genes are distributed on the 12 S. lycopersicum chromosomes. Segmental duplication events contribute mainly to the expansion of SlAAT genes and about 32% (29 genes) of SlAAT genes were found to originate from this type of event. Expression profiles of SlAAT genes in various tissues of S. lycopersicum using RNA sequencing data from the Tomato Functional Genomics Database showed that SlAAT genes exhibited tissue-specific expression patterns. Comprehensive data generated in this study will provide a platform for further studies on the SlAAT gene family and will facilitate the functional characterization of SlAAT genes.
Highlights
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) has great global commercial importance owing to its nutritional value and serves as a model for fleshy fruit development and as a reference species for plants in the Solanaceae family
acid transporters (AATs) have been studied in several plant species, there is limited information available about AATs in S. lycopersicum
The phloem sap is rich in amino acids and they are responsible for procuring the organic [2]; nitrogen that is necessary for plant growth and development [7]
Summary
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) has great global commercial importance owing to its nutritional value and serves as a model for fleshy fruit development and as a reference species for plants in the Solanaceae family. Several genome-wide studies have identified 63, 87, 23, 189, and 72 genes encoding amino acid transporters (AATs) in Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, Selaginella, Glycine max, and Solanum tuberosum, respectively [1,2,3,4,5]. AATs have been studied in several plant species, there is limited information available about AATs in S. lycopersicum. AATs are integral membrane proteins, which mediate the nitrogen allocation between source and sink [6] in plants. The phloem sap is rich in amino acids and they are responsible for procuring the organic [2]; nitrogen that is necessary for plant growth and development [7]. AATs play fundamental roles in plant physiological processes such as defense against pathogens and resistance to abiotic stresses
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