Genome-Wide Identification of PRP Genes in Apple Genome and the Role of <i>MdPRP6</i> in Response to Heat Stress

• Main Authors: Xiaoli Zhang, Xiaoqing Gong, Danyang Li, Hong Yue, Ying Qin, Zhu Liu, Mingjun Li, Fengwang Ma
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-05-01
• Series: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Subjects: proline-rich protein; apple genome; expression profiles; heat stress; ROS
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/11/5942

Plant proline-rich proteins (PRPs) are cell wall proteins that occur in the plant kingdom and are involved in plant development and stress response. In this study, 9 <em>PRP</em> genes were identified from the apple genome and a comprehensive analysis of the <em>PRP</em> family was conducted, including gene structures, phylogenetic analysis, chromosome mapping, and so on.<em> </em>The expression of <em>MdPRPs</em> varied among tissues and in response to different types of stresses. <em>MdPRP4</em> and <em>MdPRP7 </em>were induced by five detected stress treatments, including heat, drought, abscisic acid, cold, and salt; the expression patterns of the others varied under different types of stress. Subcellular localization showed that MdPRPs mainly functioned in the cytoplasm, except for MdPRP1 and MdPRP5, which also functioned in the nucleus. When <em>MdPRP6</em> was overexpressed in tobacco, the transgenic plants showed higher tolerance to high temperature (48 °C) compared with wild-type (WT) plants. The transgenic plants showed milder wilting, a lower accumulation of electrolyte leakage, MDA and ROS, and a higher level of chlorophyll and SOD and POD activity, indicating that <em>MdPRP6</em> may be an important gene in apples for heat stress tolerance. Overall, this study suggested that MdPRPs are critically important for the ability of apple responses to stresses.