Open Access

ARTICLE

Genome-Wide Identification of the GST Gene Family in Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) and Their Expression under Cold Stress with ALA Pretreatment

Guanpeng Huang^1,#, Ti Wu^1,2,#, Yinjie Zheng³, Qiyun Gu², Qiaobin Chen², Shoukai Lin^2,*, Jincheng Wu^2,*

1 College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
2 College of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Putian University, Putian, 351100, China
3 College of JunCao Science and Ecology (College of Carbon Neutrality), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China

* Corresponding Authors: Shoukai Lin. Email: ; Jincheng Wu. Email:
# These authors contributed equally to this work

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Influence of Biotic and Abiotic Stresses Signals on Plants and their Performance at Different Environments)

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2024, 93(11), 2715-2735. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2024.056484

Received 24 July 2024; Accepted 27 September 2024; Issue published 30 November 2024

Abstract

Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.), a rare fruit native to China, has a long history of cultivation in China. Low temperature is the key factor restricting loquat growth and severely affects yield. Low temperature induces the regeneration and metabolism of reduced glutathione (GSH) to alleviate stress damage via the participation of glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) in plants. In this study, 16 GSTs were identified from the loquat genome according to their protein sequence similarity with Arabidopsis GSTs. On the basis of domain characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of AtGSTs, these EjGSTs can be divided into 4 subclasses: Phi, Theta, Tau and Zeta. The basic properties, subcellular localization, structures, motifs, chromosomal distribution and collinearity of the EjGST proteins or genes were further analyzed. Tandem and segmental gene duplications play pivotal roles in EjGST expansion. Cis-elements that respond to various hormones and stresses, especially those associated with low-temperature responsiveness, were predicted to be present in the promoters of EjGSTs. Moreover, analysis of gene expression profiles revealed that 9 of 16 EjGSTs may be involved in the low-temperature responsiveness of loquat leaves. In agriculture, 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), a potential multifunctional plant growth regulator, can improve the stress response of plants. Among the 9 low-temperature-responsive EjGSTs, the expression of EjGSTU1 and EjGSTF1 significantly differed under cold stress in response to exogenous 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) pretreatment. The remarkable increase in GST activity and GSH/GSSG ratio reflected the increase in the cold response ability of loquat plants caused by exogenous ALA, thereby alleviating H₂O₂ accumulation and membrane lipid preoxidation. Overall, this study provides an initial exploration of the cold tolerance function of GSTs in loquat, offering a theoretical foundation for the development of cold-resistant loquat cultivars and new antifreeze agents.

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