Genome-Wide Characterization of the Sulfate Transporter Gene Family in Oilseed Crops: Camelina sativa and Brassica napus

Abstract

Sulfate transporters (SULTRs) are responsible for the uptake of sulfate (SO42−) ions in the rhizosphere by roots and their distribution to plant organs. In this study, SULTR family members in the genomes of two oilseed crops (Camelina sativa and Brassica napus) were identified and characterized based on their sequence structures, duplication events, phylogenetic relationships, phosphorylation sites, and expression levels. In total, 36 and 45 putative SULTR genes were recognized in the genomes of C. sativa and B. napus, respectively. SULTR proteins were predicted to be basophilic proteins with low hydrophilicity in both studied species. According to the observed phylogenetic relationships, we divided the SULTRs into five groups, out of which the SULTR 3 group showed the highest variation. Additionally, several duplication events were observed between the SULTRs. The first duplication event occurred approximately five million years ago between three SULTR 3.1 genes in C. sativa. Furthermore, two subunits were identified in the 3D structures of the SULTRs, which demonstrated that the active binding sites differed between C. sativa and B. napus. According to the available RNA-seq data, the SULTRs showed diverse expression levels in tissues and diverse responses to stimuli. SULTR 3 was expressed in all tissues. SULTR 3.1 was more upregulated in response to abiotic stresses in C. sativa, while SULTR 3.3 and SULTR 2.1 were upregulated in B. napus. Furthermore, SULTR 3 and SULTR 4.1 were upregulated in response to biotic stresses in B. napus. Additionally, the qPCR data showed that the SULTRs in C. sativa were involved in the plant’s response to salinity. Based on the distribution of cis-regulatory elements in the promoter region, we speculated that SULTRs might be controlled by phytohormones, such as ABA and MeJA. Therefore, it seems likely that SULTR genes in C. sativa have been more heavily influenced by evolutionary processes and have acquired further diversity. The results reveal new insights of the structures and functions of SULTRs in oilseed crops. However, further analyses, related to functional studies, are needed to uncover the role of SULTRs in the plants’ development and growth processes, as well as in their response to stimuli.

Comparative Analysis of Phospholipase D (PLD) Gene Family in Camelina sativa and Brassica napus and Its Responses in Camelina Seedlings under Salt Stress

“…Also, the analysis of the structure of CsPLD and BnPLD genes discloses that the members of the alpha subfamily have fewer introns/exons. It has been reported that genes with fewer exons/introns are induced faster [49,54]. It seems that the smaller number of introns has an effect on the duration of the mRNA splicing process before leaving the nucleus, and as a result, they are translated earlier [47,55].…”

“…In addition, the Ka/Ks value of all duplicated CsPLD and BnPLD pairs was estimated to be less than 1.0, revealing that the CsPLD and BnPLD family members survived under strong selection pressure of purification [46,47]. However, it was stated that purifying selection can generate pseudogenes and/or genes with conserved functions [48,49]. In addition, it seems that the expansion in CsPLDs happened much earlier than BnPLDs, and the evolution process of PLD was different in CsPLD and BnPLD family.…”

Isolation and Characterization of the Sulfate Transporter Gene Family and Its Expression Pattern in Response to Selenium and Abiotic Stress in Walnuts (Juglans regia L.)

“…This increased activity in the sulfate transport pathway may serve to alleviate selenium stress, enhancing the plant's tolerance to selenium [42,43]. The findings provide a crucial theoretical basis for the treatment of selenium-rich products with exogenous selenium, offering insights into potential strategies to improve plant tolerance and mitigate the effects of selenium stress [44][45][46].…”

Characterization and Functional Analysis of Chalcone Synthase Genes in Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)

“…In this present study, the Ka/Ks value of all duplicated VcCHS gene pairs was estimated to be ≤1.0, suggesting that the VcCHS family members survived the strong selection pressure of purification by elimination substitution and high selection pressure by natural selection during the evolutionary process [ 29 , 30 ]. Further, purifying selection can generate pseudogenes and/or genes with conserved functions [ 31 , 32 ]. Therefore, it can be inferred that the expansion of the CHS gene family contributed to the high flavonoid and anthocyanin characteristics of blueberry fruits.…”