Genome-wide identification of the GATA gene family in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and expression analysis

The aim of this study was to identify members of potato GATA gene (StGATA) family and to provide information for further study on the regulatory role of StGATA transcription factors in potato growth and development and biotic and abiotic stresses. Based on the whole potato genome data, the members of potato GATA transcription factor family were identified and systematically analyzed by bioinformatics online analysis website and software. In total, forty-nine GATA proteins from Solanum tuberosum were identified. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these GATA proteins could be divided into 5 subfamilies. The gene structure and conserved motif analysis revealed that many genes have more than one intron. Forty-nine StGATA genes were distributed on 12 chromosomes randomly. A cis-element analysis inferred that StGATAs contain abiotic stress-related elements. A heatmap showed that many StGATAs are generally expressed in tissues at different developmental stages. A representative member StGATA9 was selected for screening its expression characteristics to identify whether it was induced by Ralstonia solanacearum, abscisic acid (ABA) and methyl jasmonate (MJ) treatment. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assays indicated that StGATA9 was induced by R. solanacearum. And StGATA9 was up-regulated by different concentrations of ABA and MJ. Tissue localization showed that StGATA9 was mainly expressed in phloem of leaf vascular bundles and stem vascular system. These results provide a theoretical basis for further experimental cloning and functional verification of the gene, while provides a theoretical basis for the study of molecular mechanism of resistance to bacterial wilt in potato.