Background: Plant U-box (PUB) E3 ubiquitin ligases have vital effects on various biological processes, however, their functions within potato (Solanum tuberosum) remain unclear.
Results: This work identified altogether 74 PUBs in potato (StPUBs) and examined their gene structures, chromosomal distributions as well as conserved motifs. There were seventy-four StPUB genes on 10 chromosomes with diverse densities. As revealed by phylogenetic analysis on PUBs within potato, Arabidopsis, together with tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), they were clustered into eight subclasses (C1- C8). Additionally, according to synteny analysis, there were 40 orthologous StPUB genes to Arabidopsis whereas 58 to tomato. In addition, RNA-seq data downloaded from PGSC were utilized to reveal StPUBs’ abiotic stress responses and tissue-specific expression in the doubled-monoploid potato (DM). Furthermore, we performed RNA-seq on the ‘Atlantic’ (A, drought-sensitive cultivar) and the ‘Qingshu NO.9’ (Q, drought-tolerant cultivar) in early flowering, full-blooming, along with flower-falling stages to detect genes that might be involved in response to drought stress. Finally, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) was carried out for analyzing three candidate genes for their expression levels within 100 mM NaCl- and 10% PEG 6000 (w/v)-treated potato plantlets for a 24-h period.
Conclusion: In this study, three candidate genes related to drought stress tolerance in potato were excavated and these results should provide the valuable information for abiotic stress resistance research of StPUB gene family in potato.