Expression profiling of the phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) gene family in ginkgo biloba L.

ABSTRACT

The PAL gene family plays an important role in plant growth, development, and response to abiotic stresses and has been identified in a variety of plants. However, a systematic characterization is still lacking in Ginkgo biloba. Using a bioinformatics approach, 11 GbPAL members of the PAL gene family identified in ginkgo were identified in this study. The protein structure and physicochemical properties indicated that the GbPAL genes were highly similar. Based on their exon-intron structures, they can be classified into three groups. A total of 62 cis-elements for hormone, light, and abiotic stress responses were identified in the promoters of GbPAL genes, indicating that PAL is a multifunctional gene family. GbPAL genes were specifically expressed in different tissues and ploidy of ginkgo. These results provide a theoretical basis for further studies on the functional expression of the GbPAL genes.

KEYWORDS:

• Evolution
• flavonoids
• ginkgo
• gene expression
• phenylalanine ammonia-lyase

Acknowledgments

We thank the Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China for allowing us to use their research facilities.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contributions

Methodology, X.G., D.P.; software, Y.H.; formal analysis, Y.H.; data curation, X.G., Z.X.; writing – original draft preparation, X.G.; writing – review and editing, X.G., and Q.G.; and project administration and funding acquisition, Q.G. All authors have read and agreed to the submitted version of the manuscript.

Supplemental material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/15592324.2023.2271807

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number: 31971648).