Abstract
Calmodulin-binding proteins belong to the IQ67 domain (IQD) gene family and play essential roles in plant development and stress responses. However, the role of IQD gene family in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is yet to be known. In the present study, 23 StIQDs were identified in the potato genome and named StIQD1 to StIQD23. They were unevenly distributed on 10 of the 12 chromosomes. Phylogenetic analysis divided the IQDs into four subfamilies (IQD I–IV). StIQDs found in three of the four subfamilies. Synteny analysis confirmed that potato and tomato shared a close evolutionary relationship. Besides, RNA-Seq data analysis revealed that the expression of 19 of the 23 StIQDs was detected in at least one of the 12 tissues, and some of which showed a tissue-specific pattern. Quantitative reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction results further confirmed that 14 StIQDs responded differently to various abiotic stresses, including drought, extreme temperature, and CaCl2 treatment, suggesting their significance in stress response. This study presents a comprehensive overview of the potato IQD gene family and lays a foundation for further analysis of the StIQDs functions in plant development and stress response.
Highlights
Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is an annual Solanaceae crop that is widely cultivated worldwide (Xu et al, 2011)
Most of the StIQDs had relatively high pIs (9.38 ± 1.89), with only two having less than 7. This finding was in agreement with that of IQ67 domain (IQD) identified in other plants, such as Arabidopsis and maize (Levy et al, 2005; Cai et al, 2016)
IQD genes are among the specific gene families that are widespread in photosynthetic plants (Abel et al, 2013)
Summary
Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is an annual Solanaceae crop that is widely cultivated worldwide (Xu et al, 2011). Calcium (Ca2+) signaling plays a major role in many biological functions (Schulz et al, 2013; Aldon et al, 2018). It utilized intracellular Ca2+ as a second messenger. The Ca2+-binding proteins act as Ca2+ sensors, thereby causing plants to respond to various biological processes by regulating the concentration of Ca2+ in the cytoplasm instantaneously (Bouché et al, 2005). There are four major classes of Ca2+ sensors in plants. They include calmodulins (CaMs), CaM-like proteins, calcineurin B–like proteins, and Ca2+-dependent protein kinases (Ranty et al, 2006).
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