Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of the PHT1 Gene Family and Its Response to Mycorrhizal Symbiosis in under Phosphate Stress.

Phosphorus (P) is a vital nutrient element that is essential for plant growth and development, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can significantly enhance P absorption. The phosphate transporter protein 1 (PHT1) family mediates the uptake of P in plants. However, the gene has not yet been characterized in . In this study, to gain insight into the functional divergence of genes, nine genes were identified in the genome database via bioinformatics tools. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the PHT1 proteins of , , and could be divided into three groups. PHT1 in the same clade has a similar gene structure and motif, suggesting that the features of each clade are relatively conserved. Further tissue expression analysis revealed that was expressed mainly in the roots and stems. In addition, phenotypic changes, P content, and gene expression were analyzed in plants inoculated with AMF under different P conditions (0 mM, 0.1 mM, and 10 mM). P stress and AMF significantly affected the growth and P accumulation of . was strongly expressed in the roots colonized by AMF, implying that was a specific AMF-inducible PHT1. Taken together, these results provide new insights into the functional divergence and genetic redundancy of the genes in response to P stress and AMF symbiosis in .