Genome-wide identification of GH17 family genes and their expression patterns associated with bud dormancy-regrowth regulation in Prunus persica

Xuehui Zhao¹Haifeng Xie²Yifei Han¹Jiaqi Zhang¹Yihua Qi³Zejie Zhang⁴Maoxiang Sun¹Meiying Liu¹Fen Wang^1*Qingjie Wang^2*

• ¹Weifang University, Weifang, China
• ²Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
• ³Weifang Vocational College, Weifang, China
• ⁴Binzhou City Bincheng District Public Utilities Service Center, Binzhou, China

β-1,3-glucanase (GH17), which is necessary for symplastic transport during dormancy establishment, maintenance, and release, plays important roles in regulating cell-cell communication through plasmodesmata. However, the comprehensive identification of GH17s in peach and their function in bud dormancy regulation is still poorly understood. Here, 48 PpGH17 genes were identified from the peach genome. These 48 PpGH17 members were classified into three major clades, namely, ɑ, β, and γ, and were distributed unevenly across eight chromosomes. The domains, conserved motifs and gene structure of these 48 PpGH17 members were analyzed. Cis-element analysis of the PpGH17 genes revealed that a large number of PpGH17 family members could respond to ABA or GA. By re-analyzing a RNA-seq data, ten PpGH17 genes in peach and apricot showed significantly changed expression during the transition from endodormancy to ecodormancy.The expression patterns of the PpGH17 genes during different dormancy stages in peach showed that these genes were closely associated with dormancy release and bud regrowth regulation. The GCC box-like element was found in the promoter sequence of eleven PpGH17 genes, suggesting that they may be directly regulated by PpEBB1 and may participate in the bud-break stage. Y2H assays and BiFC assays showed PpGH17-8 can interact with PpKINβ2 and PpMIEL1. Our study provides a foundation for understanding the functions of PpGH17 genes in regulating peach bud dormancy.