Identification of autophagy-related genes ATG18 subfamily genes in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and the role of StATG18a gene in heat stress

Xi Zhu; Wei Li; Ning Zhang; Huimin Duan; Hui Jin; Zhuo Chen; Shu Chen; Jiannan Zhou; Qihua Wang; Jinghua Tang; Yasir Majeed; Yu Zhang; Huaijun Si

doi:10.3389/fpls.2024.1439972

Identification of autophagy-related genes ATG18 subfamily genes in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and the role of StATG18a gene in heat stress

Front Plant Sci. 2024 Aug 27:15:1439972. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1439972. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Xi Zhu^{1

2}, Wei Li¹, Ning Zhang^{3

4

5}, Huimin Duan¹, Hui Jin¹, Zhuo Chen¹, Shu Chen¹, Jiannan Zhou¹, Qihua Wang¹, Jinghua Tang¹, Yasir Majeed^{3

4

5}, Yu Zhang¹, Huaijun Si^{3

4

5}

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Tropical Fruit Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Laboratory of Hainan Province for Postharvest Physiology and Technology of Tropical Horticultural Products, South Subtropical Crops Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Zhanjiang, Guangdong, China.
² National Key Laboratory for Tropical Crop Breeding, Sanya Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Sanya, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China.
⁴ College of Life Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China.
⁵ College of Agronomy, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China.

Abstract

Autophagy is a highly conserved process in eukaryotes that is used to recycle the cellular components from the cytoplasm. It plays a crucial function in responding to both biotic and abiotic stress, as well as in the growth and development of plants. Autophagy-related genes (ATG) and their functions have been identified in numerous crop species. However, their specific tasks in potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.), are still not well understood. This work is the first to identify and characterize the potato StATG18 subfamily gene at the whole-genome level, resulting in a total of 6 potential StATG18 subfamily genes. We analyzed the phylogenetic relationships, chromosome distribution and gene replication, conserved motifs and gene structure, interspecific collinearity relationship, and cis-regulatory elements of the ATG18 subfamily members using bioinformatics approaches. Furthermore, the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis suggested that StATG18 subfamily genes exhibit differential expression in various tissues and organs of potato plants. When exposed to heat stress, their expression pattern was observed in the root, stem, and leaf. Based on a higher expression profile, the StATG18a gene was further analyzed under heat stress in potatoes. The subcellular localization analysis of StATG18a revealed its presence in both the cytoplasm and nucleus. In addition, StATG18a altered the growth indicators, physiological characteristics, and photosynthesis of potato plants under heat stresses. In conclusion, this work offers a thorough assessment of StATG18 subfamily genes and provides essential recommendations for additional functional investigation of autophagy-associated genes in potato plants. Moreover, these results also contribute to our understanding of the potential mechanism and functional validation of the StATG18a gene's persistent tolerance to heat stress in potato plants.

Keywords: StATG18a; autophagy; heat stress; photosynthesis; physiological; potato.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This Research Program was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 32360459), the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province, China (Grant No. 2024 A1515010068), the Hainan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 322MS116, 323MS095), and Central Public-interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund for Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (Grant No. 1630062024005).