Identification and Comprehensive Genome-Wide Analysis of Glutathione S-Transferase Gene Family in Sweet Cherry () and Their Expression Profiling Reveals a Likely Role in Anthocyanin Accumulation.

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) in plants are multipurpose enzymes that are involved in growth and development and anthocyanins transportation. However, members of the GST gene family were not identified in sweet cherry (). To identify the GST genes in sweet cherry, a genome-wide analysis was conducted. In this study, we identified 67 GST genes in genome and nomenclature according to chromosomal distribution. Phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that genes were classified into seven chief subfamily: TCHQD, Theta, Phi, Zeta, Lambda, DHAR, and Tau. The majority of the genes had a relatively well-maintained exon-intron and motif arrangement within the same group, according to gene structure and motif analyses. Gene structure (introns-exons) and conserved motif analysis revealed that the majority of the genes showed a relatively well-maintained motif and exons-introns configuration within the same group. The chromosomal localization, GO enrichment annotation, subcellular localization, syntenic relationship, Ka/Ks analysis, and molecular characteristics were accomplished using various bioinformatics tools. Mode of gene duplication showed that dispersed duplication might play a key role in the expansion of gene family. Promoter regions of genes contain numerous -regulatory components, which are involved in multiple stress responses, such as abiotic stress and phytohormones responsive factors. Furthermore, the expression profile of sweet cherry showed significant results under LED treatment. Our findings provide the groundwork for future research into induced LED anthocyanin and antioxidants deposition in sweet cherries.