Zhou Ruian, Feng Jiahui, Zhang Zhihong, Liu Yuexue
College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China.
Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Apr 11;26(8):3638. doi: 10.3390/ijms26083638.
The (Small Auxin-Upregulated RNA) family members are important early auxin responsive genes in plants, playing a key regulatory role in the auxin metabolism, signal transduction, plant organ development, and abiotic stress response. Auxin signaling is also crucial for strawberry fruit development, but its specific regulatory mechanism remains unclear. In this study, bioinformatics methods were used to systematically identify and evaluate the gene family members associated with the auxin signaling in strawberry. The woodland strawberry Yellow Wonder line 'YW5AF7' was used as the material to further investigate the expressional characteristics of members in response to the auxin signals. A total of 64 members of the gene family were identified in the woodland strawberry genome, associated with . Further bioinformatics analysis revealed that the members have undergone significant structural differentiation during evolution, and their encoded proteins exhibit diversity in folding stability, physicochemical properties, and other aspects. The prediction of the cis-elements in the promoter sequences of these genes suggests that the genes may mediate multiple hormonal and environmental signals, participating in a wide range of biological processes. RNA seq data analysis combined with RT-qPCR analysis revealed a dynamic spatiotemporal expression pattern of the genes in the vegetative and reproductive organs of strawberries, particularly the high expression levels of , , , , and other genes in flowers and young fruits, suggesting their potential regulatory roles in strawberry fruit development. Exogenous auxin treatment experiments further suggested that the expression of and is sensitive to the changes in auxin levels, indicating their potential involvement in auxin signal transduction during strawberry fruit development. Subcellular localization results showed that both proteins are located in the nucleus. The results of this study systematically analyzed the sequence structure characteristics, evolutionary history, expression patterns, and potential functions of the strawberry family members, providing important insights for further elucidating the roles of genes in strawberry fruit growth and development.
小生长素上调RNA（Small Auxin-Upregulated RNA）家族成员是植物中重要的早期生长素响应基因，在生长素代谢、信号转导、植物器官发育和非生物胁迫响应中发挥关键调节作用。生长素信号传导对草莓果实发育也至关重要，但其具体调节机制仍不清楚。在本研究中，利用生物信息学方法系统地鉴定和评估了草莓中与生长素信号传导相关的小生长素上调RNA基因家族成员。以森林草莓黄奇迹品系“YW5AF7”为材料，进一步研究小生长素上调RNA成员对生长素信号的表达特征。在森林草莓基因组中总共鉴定出64个小生长素上调RNA基因家族成员，与……相关。进一步的生物信息学分析表明，小生长素上调RNA成员在进化过程中经历了显著的结构分化，其编码的蛋白质在折叠稳定性、理化性质等方面表现出多样性。对这些基因启动子序列中的顺式元件预测表明，小生长素上调RNA基因可能介导多种激素和环境信号，参与广泛的生物学过程。RNA测序数据分析结合RT-qPCR分析揭示了小生长素上调RNA基因在草莓营养器官和生殖器官中的动态时空表达模式，特别是在花和幼果中，……等基因的高表达水平，表明它们在草莓果实发育中的潜在调节作用。外源生长素处理实验进一步表明，……和……的表达对生长素水平的变化敏感，表明它们可能参与草莓果实发育过程中的生长素信号转导。亚细胞定位结果表明，这两种蛋白质都位于细胞核中。本研究结果系统地分析了草莓小生长素上调RNA家族成员的序列结构特征、进化历史、表达模式和潜在功能，为进一步阐明小生长素上调RNA基因在草莓果实生长发育中的作用提供了重要见解。
