Plant Gene最新文献

{"title":"In silico analysis and heterologous expression of OsNAC121 shed light on its structure and function in flowering and osmotic stress","authors":"Nazma Anjum,&nbsp;Ayushi Saini,&nbsp;Bina K. Singh,&nbsp;Amit K. Das,&nbsp;Mrinal K. Maiti","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100537","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100537","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Plant-specific NAC transcription factors (TFs) are key master regulators in multiple vital physiological processes like development, organogenesis, stress tolerance and senescence. Identifying suitable TF is crucial for crop improvement program <em>via</em> biotechnological intervention. In rice (<em>Oryza sativa</em> L.) plant, only 38 out of 151 NAC TFs have been characterized till date. In this study, we have deciphered the <em>in silico</em> structure and <em>in vivo</em> function of OsNAC121 through heterologous expression in <em>Escherichia coli</em> and tobacco systems, and documented its potential role in flowering and osmotic stress. Like a typical NAC TF, OsNAC121 has a highly conserved NAC domain at the N-terminal half, featuring the subdomains A-E with the signature NAC fold comprising the twisted β-barrel between the two α-helices, and a highly variable C-terminal random coil. Analyses revealed that OsNAC121 binds to the consensus NAC binding DNA sequence (NACBS) <em>in silico</em>. In this study we have observed that the bacterially expressed truncated OsNAC121 protein forms tetramers <em>in vitro,</em> but structural modeling and DNA docking strongly support the dimeric form as the biologically relevant DNA-binding unit. Further bioinformatics analysis unravelled that R79 residue and the ⁸⁶WKAT⁸⁹ motif are pivotal for binding to the NACBS. Transgenic tobacco plants constitutively expressing OsNAC121 had elongated stem with reduced stem girth, grew faster, and flowered early, suggesting a role of OsNAC121 in determining the fate of meristematic cells. Transgenic tobacco plants also exhibited susceptibility to both drought and salinity stresses characterized by loss of chlorophyll, stunted height and smaller leaves. Therefore, we conclude that the OsNAC121 plays a crucial role in plant development, flowering time, and stress biology. Research in autologous host rice will elucidate the exact signalling pathway of OsNAC121 involving phytohormones and identify its interacting partners.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 100537"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144828607","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Molecular marker assisted confirmation of a hybrid between Ascocentrum ampullaceum var. auranticum and Rhynchostylis retusa.","authors":"Kangabam Soneja Devi ,&nbsp;Nandeibam Samarjit Singh ,&nbsp;Heisnam Haripriyari Devi ,&nbsp;Haobam Sharmila Devi ,&nbsp;Huidrom Sunitibala Devi","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100533","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100533","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Two rare and endangered orchids, <em>Rhynchostylis retusa</em>, and <em>Ascocentrum ampullaceum</em> var. <em>auranticum</em>, a narrowly endemic orchid from Manipur, were used for the present study. These two orchids were selected as parents because they have desirable traits like dense and floriferous, colorful, and long-lasting flowers. Our goal is to develop a hybrid species that is intermediate and improved over its parents in terms of floral characteristics by the F1 generation. When <em>A. ampullaceum</em> var. <em>auranticum</em> was the female parent, a 90 % crossability success rate was attained. Half-strength Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium with no phytohormones was used for seed germination <em>in vitro</em> and protocorm development of the putative hybrid. The basal medium containing 1 mg/L BAP and 0.5 mg/L NAA showed the highest growth response with 7.57 shoots/explant, 5.90 leaves/explant, and 57.19 PLBs/explant, while the medium enriched with 1 mg/L NAA produced the maximum number of roots (4.95) after 150 days of inoculation. The assessment for rapid determination of genetic purity of the developed hybrid (F1 plants) between <em>A. ampullaceum</em> var. <em>auranticum</em> and <em>R. retusa</em> was carried out by using the molecular markers, SCoT and SSR. The F1 plants' complementing banding patterns, which they inherited from their parents, confirmed that they were pure hybrids. These PCR-based molecular markers could be used for the early assessment of hybridity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 100533"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144772237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genome-wide analysis of SWEET and TST sugar transporters in sugarbeet: Structural characterization and expression during development and postharvest storage","authors":"Karen K. Fugate ,&nbsp;Fernando L. Finger ,&nbsp;Melvin D. Bolton","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100549","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100549","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>SWEET (Sugars Will Eventually be Exported Transporter) and TST (Tonoplast Sugar Transporter) genes are implicated in sucrose accumulation and sucrose loss during sugarbeet root production and postharvest storage, although information regarding their identities, structures and expression is limited. Research, therefore, was conducted to identify and structurally characterize sugarbeet SWEET and TST gene families and determine their organ-specific, developmental, and storage-related expression. Sixteen SWEET genes and four TST genes were found in the sugarbeet genome. SWEET genes were notably diverse in genomic and transcriptomic structure, yet shared similarities in protein motifs and structure, whilst TST genes were generally uniform in genomic, transcriptomic, and protein size and structure. Expression analysis revealed high expression of two SWEET genes (SWEET 1, SWEET12) in leaves, relatively low levels of SWEET gene expression in roots throughout all but the earliest stages of development, and a dramatic upregulation of four SWEET genes (SWEET1, SWEET12, SWEET14/N3, SWEET17b) during storage, including a greater than 17,000-fold increase in SWEET14/N3 expression. TST genes were expressed in all tissue types, with most TST expression derived from a single gene (TST2.1) which was highly expressed in roots, minimally expressed in leaves, and elevated in expression during root storage. Overall, these results point to the likely importance of SWEET1 and SWEET12 in leaves and TST2.1 in roots during development when sucrose is actively being accumulated and the likely importance of SWEET14/N3, and possibly SWEET1, SWEET12, SWEET17b, and TST2.1 during storage when vacuolar sequestered sucrose is remobilized and catabolized.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 100549"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145094903","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of UDP-glycosyltransferases genes associated with secondary metabolism during grain development in pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum)","authors":"Adarsh Kumar,&nbsp;Theint Theint Tun,&nbsp;Vinay Kumar","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100541","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100541","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study focused on analysing the UDP-glycosyltransferase gene family in <em>Pennisetum glaucum,</em> which plays an essential role in plant metabolism and glycosylation of the secondary metabolites. We identified 191 UGTs by performing a BLASTp search against the available pearl millet genome, utilizing amino acid sequences of the conserved plant secondary product glycosyltransferase (PSPG) motif and already reported <em>UGT</em> genes from <em>Arabidopsis</em> and maize. Phylogenetic analysis categorized these genes into 18 groups (A–R), and their genomic distribution was mapped across 10 pearl millet chromosomes. Subcellular localization analysis showed that PglUGT proteins localized to the cytoplasm, chloroplast, and nucleus. Functional annotation was carried out by Gene Ontology (GO) analysis of all the <em>PglUGT</em> genes for biological processes, cellular components, and molecular functions. Moreover, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis demonstrated that a particular set of <em>PglUGT</em> genes are directly linked with secondary metabolite biosynthesis during seed development. Further, TLC analysis documented the presence of glycoside flavonoids (vitexin and orientin) during different grain development stages: just before milky stage (S1), milky stage (S2–3) and physiological mature (S4). Expression profiling of 20 randomly selected <em>PglUGT</em> genes across different grain developmental stages also showed the elevated expression during these stages, underscoring their potential roles in plant growth and grain development. In conclusion, this study documented the identification and characterization of <em>UGT</em> genes in genome of pearl millet and proposed the potential role of UGTs during seed development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 100541"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144879785","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evolutionary and functional insights into ascorbate oxidase genes in the Fabaceae plant family","authors":"Vitória Hirdes Glenzel ,&nbsp;João Pedro Carmo Filgueiras ,&nbsp;Andreia Carina Turchetto Zolet ,&nbsp;Franceli Rodrigues Kulcheski","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100538","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100538","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ascorbate oxidase (AAO), a multicopper oxidase protein, plays a crucial role in catalyzing the oxidation of ascorbic acid (AA) in the apoplastic space. Despite the extensive attention on AAO functions, a significant gap remains in understanding its evolutionary trajectory and functional intricacies within the Fabaceae family that is recognized for its nutritional and economic importance. Our investigation revealed substantial conservation of the <em>AAO</em> gene family across all 21 studied Fabaceae species. Phylogenetic analysis consistently clustered Fabaceae <em>AAO</em> genes into two well-supported groups, indicating their shared and conserved origin. Similarly, gene structure analyses categorized sequences into two groups based on intronic sizes. Furthermore, motif analysis revealed ten conserved motifs in almost all of the AAO sequences. Notably, chromosomal localization data for <em>Glycine</em> max and <em>Glycine soja AAO</em> genes exhibited a highly similar gene distribution across the genome. Through comprehensive <em>cis</em>-regulatory analysis of <em>G.</em> max <em>AAO</em> genes, we identified binding motifs for transcription factors associated with various biological functions, including development, growth, and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Additionally, gene expression analyses unveiled significant variability in <em>AAO</em> gene expression profiles under different environmental stressors, highlighting the dynamic functional role of AAO in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Our findings facilitated the identification of multiple <em>AAO</em> homologs in Fabaceae species, thereby enhancing our understanding of the functional roles of this gene family.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 100538"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144810166","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genome-wide identification of LOX gene in four cotton species and revealed its function in callus induction and drought tolerance","authors":"Sani Muhammad Tajo ,&nbsp;Zhaoe Pan ,&nbsp;K.M. Yusuf ,&nbsp;Salisu Bello Sadau ,&nbsp;Guowei Lv ,&nbsp;Shoupu He ,&nbsp;Xiaoli Geng ,&nbsp;Xiongming Du","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100516","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100516","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cotton is one of the important fiber crops. Drought is the primary abiotic factor that restricts cotton growth and development and lowers its output. Plant <em>LOX</em> (lipoxygenases) genes catalyze the oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids into a variety of functional oxylipins. The LOX gene family has been thoroughly investigated under biotic and abiotic stressors; however, knowledge of their functions on callus induction and regeneration in cotton is still scarce. This study identified 34, 38, 23, and 20 LOX genes in the <em>Gossypium hirsutum</em>, <em>Gossypium barbadense</em>, <em>Gossypium arboreum</em>, and <em>Gossypium raimondii</em>, respectively. The <em>LOX</em> genes were found to be divided into three main categories, 9-LOX, 13-LOX Type I, and 13-LOX Type II. Three accessions of <em>G. hirsutum</em> were used to generate callus from hypocotyl, cotyledon, and shoot tip and we observed that the highest expression of the <em>GhLOX</em> genes were in the hypocotyl callus and most of <em>LOX</em> gene expression was up-regulated in one week callus and decreased in two week and four week callus except in the shoot tip induced callus in Jinmian 498. Virus-induced gene silencing of <em>GhLOX5</em> (Gh_A02G037000) revealed that the growth of the silenced plant was significantly decreased compared to WT. Excised leaf water loss and relative electrolyte leakage levels were increased about 23 % and 12 % in the <em>GhLOX5</em> silenced plant when compared to the WT. Compared to the WT, the silenced plant had significantly higher antioxidant activity (25 % in MDA content and 45 % in H₂O₂ content). The importance of <em>LOX</em> genes in drought stress and callus induction is clear, but further research is needed to understand their molecular mechanism.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"43 ","pages":"Article 100516"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143908207","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Azomite, a volcanic ash-based fertilizer modulates gene expression during photomorphogenesis through phyB-dependent and independent pathways","authors":"Elijah Mehlferber ,&nbsp;Kent F. McCue ,&nbsp;Yang Bi ,&nbsp;Robert Reed ,&nbsp;Jon Ferrel ,&nbsp;Rajnish Khanna","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100523","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100523","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Azomite is a lightly weathered dacitic (rhyolitic) tuff breccia (DTB), it is silicon-based with over 70 minerals and trace elements (micronutrients). In previous studies, application of Azomite increased greenhouse tomato production. In the tomato root endosome, Azomite caused functional shifts from higher abundance of microbes involved in metabolism of 2- to 4- carbon compounds to higher levels of microbes involved in carbohydrate metabolism. This suggested a possible increase in carbohydrate production and shift in exudates involved in microbial recruitment. Parallel studies with 4-day old Arabidopsis seedlings revealed that photosynthetically active radiation was required for Azomite-induced increase in both hypocotyl length and cotyledon area. These data suggested that Azomite may influence growth through changes in photosynthesis, leading to carbohydrate-enriched root exudates and increased growth. Here, we present RNAseq analysis in response to Azomite of 4-day old Arabidopsis seedlings grown either in continuous darkness (Dc) or under continuous red-light (Rc). Significant changes in genes involved in carbon assimilation and nutrient uptake, amongst other functional pathway categories are reported. Comparison with <em>phyB</em> (phytochrome B, red-light photoreceptor) mutant seedlings is shown to determine the overlap between phyB-regulated genes and Azomite-responsive genes. Two concentrations, 0.5 g and 1.0 g of Azomite were included because our previous results with tomato and Arabidopsis exhibited a dose-dependent response. Several genes are identified as responding differentially, including <em>SUBERMAN</em>, a myb-family transcription factor that regulates suberization of the root endodermis. This study advances our understanding of how complex mixtures of micronutrients such as Azomite influence gene expression during plant growth and development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"43 ","pages":"Article 100523"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144314498","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Adaptability of rice to different planting methods: A proof of cumulative transcriptional memory","authors":"Karishma Seem ,&nbsp;Ayantika Ghosh ,&nbsp;Rashmi Varshney ,&nbsp;Rakesh Pandey ,&nbsp;S. Gopala Krishnan ,&nbsp;Trilochan Mohapatra ,&nbsp;Suresh Kumar","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100515","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100515","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Plenty of water is required for cultivation of rice by transplanting that is challenging its cultivation, particularly on erratic rainfall or under drought. Direct-sown rice (DSR) is emerging as an alternative to transplanted rice (TPR) to save water. Performance of rice under DSR conditions varies greatly. While the molecular basis of adaptive plasticity of rice is subtle, tolerance to environmental stresses in crops is important for sustainable food production/security. The present study explores the molecular basis of adaptive/genetic plasticity in rice grown by different methods of planting, emphasising the concept of cumulative transcriptional memory. Our findings of comparative RNA-seq analysis highlighted differential gene expression with ∼6130 genes exclusively upregulated in the leaf of Nagina22 (N22) in contrast to only ∼3540 genes upregulated exclusively in the leaf of IR64 grown by dry/direct-sowing. In addition, our findings revealed that numerous genes showing upregulation in N22 were detected downregulated in IR64 that highlight distinct molecular strategies adopted by the rice cultivars. By activating diverse sets of genes coding for transcription factors, growth-regulating factors, translational machinery, nutrient-reservoirs, chromatin organization/epigenetic modifications, cell cycle/division, carbohydrate metabolism, etc., N22 adapts more effectively/efficiently to direct-sown conditions. Complementarity between these factors emerged to play important roles in adaptability of N22 to fluctuating environmental conditions. This helps adjust physio-biochemical responses of N22 to multiple abiotic/biotic stresses experienced under DSR conditions. Thus, our findings make a foundation for the development of molecular markers to facilitate varietal development of DSR for improved water productivity and sustainable agriculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"43 ","pages":"Article 100515"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143852107","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reference gene selection and expression analyses of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes in flower and vegetative tissues of Clivia miniata L.","authors":"Mathabatha F. Maleka ,&nbsp;Johan J. Spies","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100521","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100521","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pigmentation is one of the most variable traits in plants, with flowers typically being the main tissue that displays such diversity. Unlike other horticulturally valuable plants, the genetic basis of flower pigmentation in <em>Clivia</em> species remains poorly understood. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the expression of numerous anthocyanin biosynthetic genes in flower and vegetative tissues of the most popular <em>Clivia</em> species, <em>Clivia miniata</em>. Such information can facilitate the breeding and biotechnological use of <em>Clivia</em> in the global horticulture value-chain. Initially, we mined a previously assembled <em>C. miniata</em> flower transcriptome for <em>WDR</em> transcripts that are homologous to key pigmentation genes from maize (<em>PAC1</em>) and <em>Arabidopsis thaliana</em> (<em>TTG1</em>). Subsequently, we identified and tested eight candidate reference genes (<em>18S</em>, <em>ACT</em>, <em>EF1</em>α, <em>G6PDH</em>, <em>PP2A</em>, <em>RNPII</em>, <em>TUB</em>α and <em>UBQ</em>) for expression stability in <em>Clivia</em> tissues using geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and the comparative Delta-Ct method. Homology analysis revealed a transcript encoding a partial protein with specific motifs that are common in pigmentation-related WDR proteins. Further, three reference genes (<em>CmiPP2A</em>, <em>CmiEF1</em>α and <em>Cmi18S</em>) were most stable in tested <em>Clivia</em> tissues. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) analyses of ten anthocyanin biosynthetic genes (<em>CmiDFR</em>, <em>CmiF3H</em>, <em>CmiF3’H</em>, <em>CmiUF3GT</em>, <em>CmibHLH001</em>, <em>CmibHLH002</em>, <em>CmiMYB001</em>, <em>CmiMYB002</em>, <em>CmiMYB003</em> and <em>CmiWDR001</em>) normalized against the three reference genes revealed that most had relatively higher expression levels in flower than vegetative tissues. Also, expression was generally higher during anthesis than in buds, but some genes remarkably showed marked expression in roots too. Overall, this is the first study to systematically select and validate reference genes for expression analysis of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes in <em>Clivia</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"43 ","pages":"Article 100521"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144263937","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Revealing drought tolerance mechanisms in Pongamia pinnata through integrated physiological, biochemical, and transcriptomic profiling","authors":"K. Rajarajan ,&nbsp;Sandhya Sharma ,&nbsp;Harsha Srivastava ,&nbsp;Kumari Arpita ,&nbsp;A.K. Handa ,&nbsp;A. Arunachalam ,&nbsp;S.K. Dhyani","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100527","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100527","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Pongamia pinnata</em> is a promising industrial species for biofuel production. However, the detrimental effects of drought stress on the initial growth phases pose significant challenges to germination and seedling development. This problem impedes the establishment of commercial plantations in drought-prone areas, primarily because of the lack of cultivar stability. To address this issue, understanding their physiochemical and molecular responses is crucial. To elucidate the intricate molecular mechanisms underlying drought tolerance, two contrasting Pongamia genotypes, NRCP9 (tolerant) and NRCP10 (sensitive), were subjected to drought stress and watered conditions. Drought stress significantly reduced the chlorophyll content and relative water content in the NRCP10 (susceptible) genotype. In contrast, drought stress induced greater increases in peroxidase activity and proline accumulation in NRCP9 than in NRCP10. Furthermore, transcriptome analysis revealed a total of 26,195 and 18,742 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the tolerant and susceptible genotypes, respectively. Additionally, 128 common DEGs were commonly expressed under drought stress conditions, whereas 10,271 DEGs were commonly expressed under well-watered conditions. Among the DEGs in the TF families, the major were bHLH, NAC, ERF, WRKY, MYB, Trihelix, bZIP, FAR1, B3, C3H, STAT, and C2H2. Furthermore, transcriptome analyses revealed the significant genes involved in hormone biosynthesis, secondary metabolite accumulation, cofactor and carbon metabolism, and MAPK signaling. Additionally, the selected genes were validated by qRT-PCR, the transcriptome analysis and expression patterns were found to be corresponded. These findings reveal Pongamia's stress-adaptive mechanism and shed light on the physicochemical and differential gene responses to drought stress.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"43 ","pages":"Article 100527"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144481781","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}