Genome-Wide Identification of the Sulfate Transporters Gene Family in Blueberry ( spp.) and Its Response to Ericoid Mycorrhizal Fungi.

Sulfur metabolism plays a major role in plant growth and development, environmental adaptation, and material synthesis, and the sulfate transporters are the beginning of sulfur metabolism. We identified 37 potential genes in the blueberry genome, encoding peptides with 534 to 766 amino acids. The genes were grouped into four subfamilies in an evolutionary analysis. The 37 putative VcSULTR proteins ranged in size from 60.03 to 83.87 kDa. These proteins were predicted to be hydrophobic and mostly localize to the plasma membrane. The genes were distributed on 30 chromosomes; and were the only tandemly repeated genes. The promoters contained -acting elements related to the fungal symbiosis and stress responses. The transcript levels of the differed among blueberry organs and changed in response to ericoid mycorrhizal fungi and sulfate treatments. A subcellular localization analysis showed that VcSULTR2;1c localized to, and functioned in, the plasma membrane and chloroplast. The virus-induced gene knock-down of resulted in a significantly decreased endogenous sulfate content, and an up-regulation of genes encoding key enzymes in sulfur metabolism ( and ). These findings enhance our understanding of mycorrhizal-fungi-mediated sulfate transport in blueberry, and lay the foundation for further research on blueberry-mycorrhizal symbiosis.