Genome-wide analysis of soybean phosphofructokinase genes reveal their potential roles in seed germination and stress response

Abstract

Phosphofructokinase is an important rate-limiting enzyme that catalyzes the phosphorylation of fructose-6-phosphate in glycolysis. However, the biological functions of soybean (Glycine max L.) phosphofructokinases are not well understood. In this study, genome-wide analysis identified 21 phosphofructokinase genes in soybean and then a systematic bioinformatic analysis was conducted on this gene family. It was found that soybean phosphofructokinases were classified into two major subfamilies, including ATP-dependent phosphofructokinase (PFK) and pyrophosphate-fructose-6-phosphate-phosphotransferase (PFP). The two subfamilies showed clear differentiation in both conserved motifs and gene structure. Twenty-eight duplication events were discovered among soybean phosphofructokinases, contributing to the expansion of the gene family. Gene ontology analysis and promoter analysis revealed the multiple biological processes that soybean phosphofructokinases might participate in. Based on transcriptome data, we found that the phosphofructokinases exhibited different tissue-specific expression patterns, and that these genes, especially GmPFPs, might play particular roles in seed germination. The expression pattern analysis under abiotic stress indicated the involvement of soybean phosphofructokinase genes in response to drought and submergence stress. These results facilitated our understanding of soybean phosphofructokinases and provided a foundation for further studies on this gene family.