Genome-Wide Analysis of the Polygalacturonase Gene Family in Macadamia and Identification of Members Involved in Fruit Abscission. 2025

Yu-Chong Fei, and Yi Mo, and Jiajing Xu, and Kai Lin, and Liang Tao, and Xiyong He, and Meng Li, and Zeng-Fu Xu
Guangxi Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Conservation, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China.

Severe physiological fruit abscission significantly limits yield potential in macadamia. Polygalacturonase (PG), a key hydrolytic enzyme in pectin degradation, plays a critical role in fruit abscission. However, in the macadamia genome, the PG gene family and the members involved in fruit abscission remain poorly understood. In this study, 56 PG gene family members, which were unevenly distributed across 13 of the 14 chromosomes, were identified in the macadamia genome. Phylogenetic analysis clustered these genes into seven clades, with most members found in clades D and E. The MiPGs contained 3-11 exons and 2-10 introns, and except for those in clades E and G, most contained conserved domains I-IV and were predicted to be localized exclusively to the cell membrane. MiPG promoter analysis revealed numerous light-, phytohormone-, and stress-responsive cis-elements. Expression profiling during fruit development showed that twelve MiPGs were either undetectable or expressed at low levels in the fruit abscission zone, whereas eight were highly expressed. MiPG9, MiPG37, and MiPG53 were significantly upregulated during abscission induced by a combination of girdling with defoliation and ethephon treatments. Moreover, transient MiPG37 overexpression in lily petals promoted premature abscission, suggesting that this gene plays a pivotal role in macadamia fruit abscission. These findings advance the functional characterization of macadamia PG genes and highlight a subset of candidate genes for further genetic manipulation to improve fruit retention.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries

Related Publications

Yu-Chong Fei, and Yi Mo, and Jiajing Xu, and Kai Lin, and Liang Tao, and Xiyong He, and Meng Li, and Zeng-Fu Xu
December 2019, BMC plant biology,
Yu-Chong Fei, and Yi Mo, and Jiajing Xu, and Kai Lin, and Liang Tao, and Xiyong He, and Meng Li, and Zeng-Fu Xu
March 2020, Plants (Basel, Switzerland),
Yu-Chong Fei, and Yi Mo, and Jiajing Xu, and Kai Lin, and Liang Tao, and Xiyong He, and Meng Li, and Zeng-Fu Xu
June 2023, BMC plant biology,
Yu-Chong Fei, and Yi Mo, and Jiajing Xu, and Kai Lin, and Liang Tao, and Xiyong He, and Meng Li, and Zeng-Fu Xu
July 2019, 3 Biotech,
Yu-Chong Fei, and Yi Mo, and Jiajing Xu, and Kai Lin, and Liang Tao, and Xiyong He, and Meng Li, and Zeng-Fu Xu
May 2025, Genes,
Yu-Chong Fei, and Yi Mo, and Jiajing Xu, and Kai Lin, and Liang Tao, and Xiyong He, and Meng Li, and Zeng-Fu Xu
October 2022, International journal of molecular sciences,
Yu-Chong Fei, and Yi Mo, and Jiajing Xu, and Kai Lin, and Liang Tao, and Xiyong He, and Meng Li, and Zeng-Fu Xu
November 2016, International journal of molecular sciences,
Yu-Chong Fei, and Yi Mo, and Jiajing Xu, and Kai Lin, and Liang Tao, and Xiyong He, and Meng Li, and Zeng-Fu Xu
December 2022, Animals : an open access journal from MDPI,
Yu-Chong Fei, and Yi Mo, and Jiajing Xu, and Kai Lin, and Liang Tao, and Xiyong He, and Meng Li, and Zeng-Fu Xu
October 2021, International journal of molecular sciences,
Yu-Chong Fei, and Yi Mo, and Jiajing Xu, and Kai Lin, and Liang Tao, and Xiyong He, and Meng Li, and Zeng-Fu Xu
October 2023, Plant cell reports,
Copied contents to your clipboard!