Acta Agriculturae Zhejiangensis ›› 2025, Vol. 37 ›› Issue (10): 2104-2115.DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20250023

• Horticultural Science • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Identification of the HKT gene family members in Populus species and analysis of their expression patterns under salt stress

LIAO Xiaolong1(), WANG Xingsheng1, CHEN Yong1, LI Bin1, HONG Sidan2, MEI Lina2, GUO Ying2,*()   

  1. 1. Ili Experimental Center of Tree Breeding for Improved Varieties(Plain Forestry Farm), Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, Ili 835311, Xinjiang, China
    2. Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Poplar Germplasm Enhancement and Variety Improvement, Co-Innovation Center for the Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Forestry and Grassland, College of Soil and Water Conservation, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
  • Received:2025-01-09 Online:2025-10-25 Published:2025-11-13

Abstract:

To investigate the function of high-affinity K transporters (HKT) in the salt stress response of Populus species and to identify key genes for salt-tolerant breeding, a genome-wide identification of HKT gene family members was conducted in 11 Populus species, including Populus alba × P. glandulosa clone 84K (poplar clone 84K). Bioinformatics analyses were performed to characterize conserved domains, physicochemical properties, conserved motifs, chromosomal localization, and cis-acting elements. Additionally, the spatiotemporal expression profiles of HKT genes were analyzed using qRT-PCR and RNA-seq data from salt-treated poplar clone 84K. A total of 30 HKT family genes were identified, 29 of which were located on chromosome 18 across the species. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all 30 HKT genes belong to the HKT1 subfamily and were further divided into two subgroups: HKT1;4 and HKT1;5. Cis-acting element analysis indicated that the promoter regions contained important stress-responsive elements, such as TC-rich repeats, MBS, and G-box. Notably, PaghAHKT1;4 exhibited a significant upregulation in expression with prolonged salt stress in poplar clone 84K. In conclusion, 30 HKT genes were identified in Populus, which play important roles in salt stress response. Among them, PaghAHKT1;4 might serve as a potential target gene for salt-tolerant breeding in poplar clone 84K.

Key words: Populus species, high-affinity K+ transporter(HKT) family, salt stress, expression pattern

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