The Role of PLATZ6 in Raffinose Family Oligosaccharides Loading of Leaves via PLATZ Family Characterization in Cucumber.

The () genes, a novel cluster of plant-specific zinc-finger-dependent DNA-binding proteins, play a crucial role in regulating stress response and plant development. However, there has been little study focus on the role of the cucumber PLATZ family in assimilating loading in leaves. (1) In this study, a total of 12 genes were identified from the cucumber genome. The cucumber genes were clustered into five groups, and unevenly distributed on five chromosomes. A single pair of cucumber genes underwent segmental duplication. (2) The results of genome-wide expression analysis suggested that the cucumber genes were widely expressed in a wide range of cucumber tissues, with three (, , and ) genes exhibiting high expression in the vascular tissues of cucumber leaves. , , and proteins were primarily located in cytomembrane and nucleus. (3) In VIGS- plants, the expression of () and (), two genes involved in the synthesis of raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) were observed to be decreased in cucumber leaves. In conclusion, the comprehensive analysis of the cucumber PLATZ family and the preliminary functional verification of PLATZ6 lay the foundation for the molecular and physiological functions of cucumber genes.