Identification and Functional Verification of the Glycosyltransferase Gene Family Involved in Flavonoid Synthesis in <i>Rubus chingii</i> Hu
2024
Yujie Shi | Zhen Chen | Mingkai Shen | Qianfan Li | Shunli Wang | Jingyong Jiang | Wei Zeng
Glycosylation is catalyzed by UDP-glycosyltransferase (<i>UGT</i>) and plays an important role in enriching the diversity of flavonoids. <i>Rubus</i> plants contain a lot of natural flavonoid glycosides, which are important plants with a homology of medicine and food. However, information about the <i>Rubus UGT</i> gene family is very limited. In this study, we carried out genome-wide analysis and identified the 172, 121, 130, 121 <i>UGT</i> genes in <i>R. chingii</i>, <i>R. corchorifolius</i>, <i>R. idaeus</i>, and <i>R. occidentalis</i>, respectively, and divided them into 18 groups. The analysis of the protein motif and gene structure showed that there were structural and functional conservations in the same group, but there were differences among different groups. Gene replication analysis showed that raspberry and dicotyledons had a higher homology. The expansion of the <i>UGTs</i> gene family was mainly driven by tandem replication events, and experienced purified selection during the long evolution of the raspberry. Cis-acting element analysis showed that they were related to plant growth and development, hormone regulation, and stress response. In addition, according to a comprehensive analysis of the co-expression network constructed by transcriptome data and phylogenetic homology, <i>RchUGT169</i> was identified as a flavonoid glucosyltransferase. Through the transient expression in tobacco, it was verified that <i>RchUGT169</i> could catalyze the conversion of kaempferol and quercetin to the corresponding flavonoid glycosides. In conclusion, this research enriched the understanding of the diversity of UGTs in <i>Rubus</i> and determined that RcUGT169 can catalyze flavonoids.
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