Role of sweet potato GST genes in abiotic stress tolerance revealed by genomic and transcriptomic analyses
Deka Reine Judesse Soviguidi, Yi Liu1, Rui Pan, Salah Fatouh Abou-Elwafa, Li-Ping Rao, Sefasi Abel, Wen-Ying Zhang and Xin-Sun Yang
Abstract: Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are proteins synthesized in plants and responsible for their tolerance to environmental stresses. However, little information is available on the GST gene family of sweet potato, a globally important crop. The genetic evolution of GSTs in sweet potato remains unclear. The present study investigated the GST gene family in sweet potato by transcriptomic and comparative genomic analyses. A total of 51 GSTs were identified. Gene expression analysis showed differential expression patterns of the GSTs between two investigated varieties. Some GST expression levels were either up- or downregulated under oxidative, salinity and drought stresses. The results of the investigation provided new insights on the GST gene family in sweet potato, which may further the understanding of the roles of these genes in regulating abiotic stresses.