ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Symbiotic Interactions
This article is part of the Research TopicGenomic Pathways to Plant Health: Exploring Microbial Symbiosis and BiocontrolView all 7 articles
Genome-wide characterisation and expression analysis of PLATZ gene family of Eucalyptus grandis under arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis
Provisionally accepted
- College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
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Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) affect plant performance and ecosystem functioning. The Plant AT-rich protein and zinc-binding protein (PLATZ) transcription factor family plays a pivotal role in the plant growth and meristem activity. However, the potential role of PLATZ genes in regulating arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis remains experimentally uncharacterized. This study aimed to identify the PLATZ genes in Eucalyptus grandis and to preliminarily characterize their dual involvement in both growth regulation and AM symbiosis. A genome-wide identification and expression analysis of EgPLATZ genes was conducted through bioinformatics approaches and transcriptomic data. Twenty EgPLATZ members were identified and classified into 4 distinct clades, which is consistent with conserved domain architectures observed in other plant species. EgPLATZs are enriched in cis-regulatory motifs associated with cell expansion, phytohormone signaling, meristem activity, and mycorrhizal symbiosis, especially NODCON2GM (100%), PIBS (50%) and AW-box (75%). The protein predictions suggest that EgPLATZ proteins interact with Dof proteins and transcription initiation factors, indicating a conserved transcriptional mechanism analogous to that observed in other species. EgPLATZs exhibit tissue-specific expression patterns, and EgPLATZ14 and EgPLATZ15 were highly expressed in roots and leaves, respectively. Six EgPLATZs were generally down-regulated under AM symbiosis, with EgPLATZ15 and EgPLATZ2 showing significant downregulation. These results suggest that certain EgPLATZs may function at the interface of developmental signaling and mycorrhizal colonization. This study provides the genome-wide characterization of PLATZs in E. grandis, establishing a functional framework for future investigations into their roles in growth and symbiosis, and suggestion potential candidate genes involved in AMF-responsive in E. grandis.
Keywords: Arbuscular mycorrhizal, Eucalyptus grandis, Gene Expression, Genome-wide identification, PLATZ gene family
Received: 17 Oct 2025; Accepted: 04 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Qiutong, Xinyi, Zhang, Xinzhu, Jingquan, Kexin and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Zujing Chen
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