Biotechnology Bulletin ›› 2025, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (2): 257-269.doi: 10.13560/j.cnki.biotech.bull.1985.2024-0700

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Identification and Expression Analysis of Members of the SWEET Gene Family in Chinese Chestnut

YANG Yong(), YUAN Guo-mei(), KANG Xiao-xiao, LIU Ya-ming, WANG Dong-sheng, ZHANG Hai-e()   

  1. 1.College of Horticultural Science and Technology, Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao 066004
    2.Engineering Research Center of Chestnut Industry Technology, Ministry of Education, Qinhuangdao 066004
    3.Hebei Province Chestnut Industry Collaborative Innovation Center, Qinhuangdao 066004
  • Received:2024-07-21 Online:2025-02-26 Published:2025-02-28
  • Contact: ZHANG Hai-e E-mail:1725722566@qq.com;zhang33haie4@163.com

Abstract:

Objective The SWEET gene family is closely related to the starch content and sugar content in the fruit. Focusing on the expression pattern of chestnut SWEET gene family during chestnut fruit ripening may lay the foundation for subsequent studies of the SWEET gene family function during fruit ripening in Chinese chestnut. Method Bioinformatics techniques was applied to identify the SWEET gene family of seven Fagaceae species. Phylogenetic tree was constructed on them, homology analysis of each member was performed, and gene duplication type analysis was performed, etc. The protein physicochemical properties, gene structure, selection pressure and protein structure of chestnut SWEET gene family were also analyzed. Transcriptome and RT-qPCR were used to analyze the expression patterns of chestnut SWEET gene family members during different fruit ripening period. Result A total of seven Fagaceae species contained the 129 members of SWEET gene family, and seven species had 16 SWEET gene family members before divergence. There were 19 chestnut SWEET gene families, which were unequally distributed across nine chromosomes and one contig segment. And their proteins had a relatively consistent Motif distribution and conserved domain distribution. The results of cis-element analysis showed that a large number of growth-related elements, hormone response elements and stress response elements were present on the promoter sequences of chestnut SWEET gene family. Transcriptome and RT-qPCR analyses revealed that nine members of the chestnut SWEET gene family were expressed during chestnut fruit ripening. Among them, CmSWEET1, CmSWEET3, CmSWEET4, CmSWEET16 and CmSWEET19 were downregulated with ripening, CmSWEET2 and CmSWEET9 were downregulated with ripening, and CmSWEET15 and CmSWEET17 were downregulated with ripening. Conclusion A total of 129 members of the Fagaceae species SWEET gene family are identified, including 19 members of the chestnut SWEET gene family.CmSWEET15 and CmSWEET17 expression pattern is similar to the change pattern of soluble sugars, which may regulate soluble sugar transport during chestnut fruit ripening. The expression patterns of CmSWEET1, CmSWEET2, CmSWEET3, CmSWEET4, CmSWEET9, CmSWEET16 and CmSWEET19 are completely consistent with or opposite to the pattern of starch changes, which may regulate starch accumulation during chestnut fruit ripening.

Key words: chestnut, Fagaceae, gene family, starch, soluble sugar, expression patterns, bioinformatics