Identification and Expression Analysis of The Glycyrrhiza SQE Gene Family Members under Abiotic Stress
10.13865/j.cnki.cjbmb.2025.05.1525
- VernacularTitle:甘草鲨烯环氧酶基因家族成员鉴定及其非生物胁迫下的表达分析
- Author:
Yue-Tao LI
1
;
Lin-Yuan CHENG
1
;
YAO-HUA
1
;
Hai-Tao SHEN
1
Author Information
1. 石河子大学生命科学学院西附219室,新疆植物药资源教育部重点实验室,绿洲城镇与山盆系统生态兵团重点实验室,新疆石河子 832003
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
licorice;
glycyrrhizic acid;
squalene epoxidase gene;
abiotic stress
- From:
Chinese Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
2025;41(5):716-729
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Glycyrrhizic acid is one of the key bioactive components in licorice,known for its liver-protec-tive and antiviral effects.Squalene epoxidase(SQE)is a crucial enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway of glycyrrhizic acid.However,there is limited research on the systematic analysis of the SQE gene family and its function in licorice.This study aims to explore the role of the SQE gene family in glycyrrhizic acid synthesis through bioinformatic analysis,expression specificity,and correlation with glycyrrhizic acid con-tent.The results showed that the three medicinal species of licorice contained a total of 11 SQE genes.Among them,both Glycyrrhiza glabra and Glycyrrhiza inflata had four SQE genes,while Glycyrrhiza ura-lensis had three.Highly homologous SQE genes exhibited similar expression patterns and were located at similar chromosomal positions.Different SQE genes displayed distinct expression characteristics.Specif-ically,GgSQE1,GiSQE1,GuSQE1,and GuSQE3 were primarily expressed in the roots,while GgSQE3 was highly expressed in the whole plant of licorice.Under 15％PEG6000 and 150 mmol/L NaCl treat-ments at different time points during seedling stages of different licorice species,the expression patterns of GgSQE1,GgSQE3,GiSQE1,GiSQE3,and GuSQE1 exhibited trends similar to the changes in glycyr-rhizic acid content.Further analysis revealed that the promoter regions of these genes contained multiple stress-responsive elements,suggesting that SQE1 and SQE3 may be involved in glycyrrhizic acid synthesis following abiotic stress in licorice.The findings of this study provide candidate genes for future breeding programs aimed at improving glycyrrhizic acid content and lay a foundation for further research into the molecular mechanisms by which abiotic stress enhances glycyrrhizic acid production.
