Open Access

ARTICLE

Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Profiling Suggest that Invertase Genes Function in Silique Development and the Response to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in Brassica napus

Jingsen Liu^1,2, Jinqi Ma^1,2, Ai Lin^1,2, Chao Zhang^1,2, Bo Yang^1,2, Liyuan Zhang^1,2, Lin Huang^1,2, Jiana Li^1,2,*

1 Chongqing Rapeseed Engineering Research Center, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Chongqing, 400715, China
2 Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China

* Corresponding Author: Jiana Li. Email:

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2020, 89(2), 253-273. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2020.09334

Received 03 December 2019; Accepted 04 February 2020; Issue published 22 April 2020

Abstract

Invertase (INV), a key enzyme in sucrose metabolism, irreversibly catalyzes the hydrolysis of sucrose to glucose and fructose, thus playing important roles in plant growth, development, and biotic and abiotic stress responses. In this study, we identified 27 members of the BnaINV family in Brassica napus. We constructed a phylogenetic tree of the family and predicted the gene structures, conserved motifs, cis-acting elements in promoters, physicochemical properties of encoded proteins, and chromosomal distribution of the BnaINVs. We also analyzed the expression of the BnaINVs in different tissues and developmental stages in the B. napus cultivar Zhongshuang 11 using qRT-PCR. In addition, we analyzed RNA-sequencing data to explore the expression patterns of the BnaINVs in four cultivars with different harvest indices and in plants inoculated with the pathogenic fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. We used WGCNA (weighted coexpression network analysis) to uncover BnaINVregulatory networks. Finally, we explored the expression patterns of several BnaINV genes in cultivars with long (Zhongshuang 4) and short (Ningyou 12) siliques. Our results suggest that BnaINVs play important roles in the growth and development of rapeseed siliques and the defense response against pathogens. Our findings could facilitate the breeding of high-yielding B. napus cultivars with strong disease resistance.

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