Genome-wide identification and characterization of pectin methylesterase inhibitor gene family members related to abiotic stresses in watermelon

Siyu Zhang; Xinhao Yuan; Jiahao Duan; Jun Hu; Chunhua Wei; Yong Zhang; Jiafa Wang; Chao Li; Shengcan Hou; Xiaodan Luo; Junhua Li; Xian Zhang; Zhongyuan Wang

doi:10.3389/fpls.2024.1454046

Genome-wide identification and characterization of pectin methylesterase inhibitor gene family members related to abiotic stresses in watermelon

Front Plant Sci. 2024 Sep 17:15:1454046. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1454046. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Siyu Zhang^#¹, Xinhao Yuan^#¹, Jiahao Duan¹, Jun Hu¹, Chunhua Wei¹, Yong Zhang¹, Jiafa Wang¹, Chao Li^{1

2}, Shengcan Hou³, Xiaodan Luo³, Junhua Li³, Xian Zhang¹, Zhongyuan Wang¹

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, College of Horticulture, Northwest A & F University, Xianyang, China.
² Research Institute of Grape and Melon of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Turpan, China.
³ Kaifeng Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Kaifeng, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Pectin is a vital component of plant cell walls and its methylation process is regulated by pectin methylesterase inhibitors (PMEIs). PMEIs regulate the structural and functional modifications of cell walls in plants and play an important role in plant processes such as seed germination, fruit ripening, and stress response. Although the PMEI gene family has been well characterized in model plants, the understanding of its molecular evolution and biological functions in watermelon remains limited. In this study, 60 ClPMEI genes were identified and characterized, revealing their dispersion on multiple chromosomes. Based on a systematic developmental analysis, these genes were classified into three subfamilies, which was further supported by the exon, intron, and conserved motif distribution. Analysis of cis-elements and expression patterns indicated that ClPMEIs might be involved in regulating the tolerance of watermelon to various abiotic stresses. Moreover, distinct ClPMEI genes exhibit specific functions under different abiotic stresses. For example, ClPMEI51 and ClPMEI54 showed a significant upregulation in expression levels during the late stage of drought treatments, whereas ClPMEI3 and ClPMEI12 displayed a significant downregulation under low-temperature induction. Subcellular localization prediction and analysis revealed that the ClPMEI family member proteins were localized to the cell membrane. This study provided an important foundation for the further exploration of the functions of ClPMEI genes in watermelon.

Keywords: PMEI family; abiotic stresses; expression analysis; watermelon; whole genome identification.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by the Central Guidance on Local Science and Technology Development Fund of Henan Province (Z202318111037), Introduction and experimental demonstration of new varieties of high quality multi-resistant watermelon (No.2023007), and Key Research and Development Program of Shaanxi Province (2019ZDLNY03-03).