Sulfate transporters (SULTRs) are key players that regulate sulfur acquisition and distribution within plants, thereby influencing cellular redox hemostasis under pathogen attacks, such as
Alternaria brassicicola (
Ab). In this study, a total of 23
BolSULTR (
Brassica oleracea SULTR) genes were
[...] Read more.
Sulfate transporters (SULTRs) are key players that regulate sulfur acquisition and distribution within plants, thereby influencing cellular redox hemostasis under pathogen attacks, such as
Alternaria brassicicola (
Ab). In this study, a total of 23
BolSULTR (
Brassica oleracea SULTR) genes were identified from the
Brassica genome. These
BolSULTRs are distributed across nine chromosomes, with all collinear
BolSULTR gene pairs undergoing purifying selections. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that the SULTR family is evolutionarily conserved among plant kingdoms. qRT-PCR analysis demonstrated that the expression of
BolSULTRs varies across different plant organs and is modulated by hormonal signals. Furthermore, transcriptome analysis identified several
BolSULTRs whose expression levels were depressed in
Ab-challenged leaves in broccoli. Among them, the
BolSULTR2;1 gene emerged as a key player in the plant’s response to
Ab. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) of
BolSULTR2;1s resulted in elevated glutathione (GSH) levels and enhanced tolerance to
Ab. Taken together, these findings underscore the role of
BolSULTR2;1 in maintaining redox homeostasis and enhancing plant disease resistance, suggesting its potential as a target for genome editing to develop broccoli varieties with improved pathogen tolerance.
Full article
