Open Access

ARTICLE

Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of GS and GOGAT Gene Family in Pecan (Carya illinoinensis) under Different Nitrogen Forms

Zhenbing Qiao^1,2, Mengyun Chen^1,2, Wenjun Ma^1,2, Juan Zhao^1,2, Jiaju Zhu^1,2, Kaikai Zhu^1,2, Pengpeng Tan^1,2, Fangren Peng^1,2,*

1 Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China
2 College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China

* Corresponding Author: Fangren Peng. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Recent Research Trends in Genetics, Genomics, and Physiology of Crop Plants)

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2024, 93(9), 2349-2365. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2024.056655

Received 27 July 2024; Accepted 27 August 2024; Issue published 30 September 2024

Abstract

Ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N) is one of the main forms of nitrogen absorbed and utilized by plants, and mastering the regulatory mechanism of plant ammonium assimilation is a key way to improve the efficiency of plant nitrogen utilization. Glutamine synthetase (GS) and glutamate synthase (GOGAT), two key enzymes for ammonium assimilation, have rarely been studied in pecan. In this study, GS and GOGAT family members of pecan were identified and analyzed using bioinformatics methods. The results indicated that 6 GS and 4 GOGAT genes were identified. The cis-acting elements can be broadly categorized into light-responsive, hormone-responsive, and stress-responsive elements. The findings from the analysis of homologous evolution revealed that neither of the two gene families experienced tandem duplication events. Additionally, different ratios of ammonium to nitrate nitrogen were set to analyze the activities of GS and GOGAT enzymes and expression levels in pecan. The results demonstrate differences in the activities of GS and GOGAT enzymes and the gene expression levels in various tissues of pecan under different nitrogen form ratios. This study established a foundation for further mastering the molecular regulatory mechanism of nitrogen assimilation in pecan, and provided a theoretical basis for enhancing the ability of pecan to absorb and utilize nitrogen.

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Keywords

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