Genome-Wide Identification, Characterization and Expression Profiling of the CONSTANS-like Genes in Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

Genes (Basel). 2023 May 28;14(6):1174. doi: 10.3390/genes14061174.

Abstract

CONSTANS-like (COL) genes play important regulatory roles in flowering, tuber formation and the development of the potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). However, the COL gene family in S. tuberosum has not been systematically identified, restricting our knowledge of the function of these genes in S. tuberosum. In our study, we identified 14 COL genes, which were unequally distributed among eight chromosomes. These genes were classified into three groups based on differences in gene structure characteristics. The COL proteins of S. tuberosum and Solanum lycopersicum were closely related and showed high levels of similarity in a phylogenetic tree. Gene and protein structure analysis revealed similarities in the exon-intron structure and length, as well as the motif structure of COL proteins in the same subgroup. We identified 17 orthologous COL gene pairs between S. tuberosum and S. lycopersicum. Selection pressure analysis showed that the evolution rate of COL homologs is controlled by purification selection in Arabidopsis, S. tuberosum and S. lycopersicum. StCOL genes showed different tissue-specific expression patterns. StCOL5 and StCOL8 were highly expressed specifically in the leaves of plantlets. StCOL6, StCOL10 and StCOL14 were highly expressed in flowers. Tissue-specific expression characteristics suggest a functional differentiation of StCOL genes during evolution. Cis-element analysis revealed that the StCOL promoters contain several regulatory elements for hormone, light and stress signals. Our results provide a theoretical basis for the understanding of the in-depth mechanism of COL genes in regulating the flowering time and tuber development in S. tuberosum.

Keywords: COL; S. tuberosum; gene expression; genome-wide analysis; tuber.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Arabidopsis Proteins* / genetics
  • Arabidopsis* / genetics
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Genes, Plant
  • Phylogeny
  • Solanum tuberosum*
  • Stress, Physiological / genetics
  • Transcription Factors / genetics

Substances

  • CONSTANS protein, Arabidopsis
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Transcription Factors
  • Arabidopsis Proteins

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Anhui (No. 2108085QC125), the Key Project of Anhui Provincial Education Department (No. 2022AH051627), the Talent Introduction Start-up Fund Project of Anhui Science and Technology University (No. NXYJ202102), the University Level Scientific Research Project of Anhui Science and Technology University (No. 2021zryb17) and the National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program for College Students (No. 202210879057). The funding institution was not involved in the design of the study, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data or in writing the manuscript.