Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of USP Gene Family in Grapes (Vitis vinifera L.)

Abstract

With the frequent occurrence of extreme natural disasters, unfavorable growth environment is a common phenomenon in the life cycle of plants. In recent years, universal stress proteins (USPs) have attracted extensive attention in the field of plant science for their expression patterns and functional analysis. However, the characterization of the USP family remains unclear in grape. In this study, we identified 30 VvUSPs in the grape genome, which could be divided into three classes according to their encoded protein sequences, and this classification was reflected by the distribution of conserved motifs. Gene duplication analysis demonstrated that segmental duplication was an important pathway in the expansion of the VvUSP family. The expression patterns of 12 VvUSPs were significantly different between tissues, implying they had different functions in various tissues. Cis-acting element and expression analysis showed that most of the promoter regions of VvUSPs contained sequences responsive to hormones and stress elements, especially the promoter region of VIT_16s0013g01920. In conclusion, our findings provide comprehensive information for the further investigation of the genetics and protein functions of the USP gene family in grape.

Identification of ABA Signaling Pathway Genes and Their Differential Regulation in Response to Suboptimal Light Stress in Grape (Vitis vinifera L.)

“…In this study, we described the chromosomal locations of 40 APGs, and the results showed that they were distributed on 15 chromosomes (Figure 3). In several cases, the genes of one family were clustered together with members of other gene families, such as VvSnRK2.1 and VvPYR/PYL/RCAR1, which could indicate their close evolutionary relationship [28]. In addition, this study also used collinearity analysis to understand the evolutionary relationship between genes.…”

“…Interestingly, we found that all genes with collinear relationships were also clustered together in their evolutionary tree, such as VvPP2C2 and VvPP2C15, which further demonstrated the accuracy of clustering results (Figure 3b). The analysis of these grapevine genes indicated that there were 10 pairs of genes derived from segmental duplication events, which displayed Ka/Ks ratios of <1, indicating that they underwent purification selection [28,47].…”

“…However, the role of APGs under weak light stress remains unclear. Grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) are an economically important crop that is mainly cultivated in greenhouses in southern China [28]. The grapevine responds well to well-lit conditions, whereas weak light stress has adverse effects on its physiology and biochemistry, with decreases in the grape yield, quality, and economic return.…”

Comprehensive Analysis of Universal Stress Protein Family Genes and Their Expression in Fusarium oxysporum Response of Populus davidiana × P. alba var. pyramidalis Louche Based on the Transcriptome

“…They showed a positive response to the induction of F. oxysporum infection. According to follow-up experiments and expression patterns of USPs in other plants and microbial species [ 27 , 58 , 59 ], USPs can be used as key resistance genes for functional research to effectively promote the improvement of genetic traits and breeding of resistant varieties. In addition, results of gene enrichment analysis showed that PtrUSPs mainly functioned in two biological processes: response to stress and response to stimulus.…”