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oai:figshare.com:article/34047662 2026-10-01T17:26:26Z category_8 category_12 category_13 category_24 category_272 category_734 category_132 category_133 portal_5 item_type_1 month_year_10_2026

<p>Conserved domain of NHX proteins in <i>Forsythia.</i></p> Lulu Li (608444) Xiaojun Ma (231882) Aiqin Ding (9549380) Guanning Zhang (19482189) Jiahui Zhou (6106628) Congcong Liu (734476) Chunli Chen (176508) Xiaohan Tang (4394950) Xuexiang Li (128859) Jing Shu (304108) Xinhong Wang (220165) Microbiology Cell Biology Genetics Evolutionary Biology Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified Infectious Diseases Plant Biology two endosomal system primary driving force exogenous abscisic acid div >< p interspecies synteny analysis expression analysis revealed duplicated gene pairs potential candidates involved h ⁺ antiporter nhx gene expression systematic comparative analysis gene family plays 18 nhx members 12 vacuolar membrane nhx gene family exogenous aba stress three stress treatments three subclasses based abiotic stress responses forsythia suspensa </ gene family nhx members abiotic stress phylogenetic analysis gene structure systematic identification specific responses potential involvement na ⁺ aba ). suspensa </ stress response forsythia </ viridissima </ ovata </ fsnhx6 </ wide identification various types simulated ), segmental duplication remain unexplored <div><p>The Na ⁺ /H⁺ antiporter (NHX) gene family plays a central role in maintaining cellular ion homeostasis and responding to abiotic stress in plants. However, the systematic identification and functional characterization of this gene family in woody plants of the genus <i>Forsythia</i> remain unexplored. To address this, genome-wide identification and systematic comparative analysis of the NHX gene family were performed in three <i>Forsythia</i> species, <i>Forsythia suspensa</i>, <i>F. viridissima</i>, and <i>F. ovata</i>, with a focus on elucidating <i>F. suspensa</i> NHX gene expression under various types of stress: salt, drought (PEG-simulated), and exogenous abscisic acid (ABA). In total, 18 NHX members were identified and were classified into three subclasses based on phylogenetic analysis, resulting in 12 vacuolar membrane-localized ‘Vac’-class members, four plasma-membrane-localized ‘PM’-class members, and two endosomal system-localized ‘Endo’-class members. Those proteins within the same evolutionary clade exhibit highly conserved structural features in terms of motif arrangement and gene structure. Synteny analysis identified whole-genome or segmental duplication as the primary driving force for the expansion of this family, with all of the duplicated gene pairs having undergone strong purifying selection. Based on interspecies synteny analysis, <i>F. suspensa</i> and <i>F. viridissima</i> exhibited the highest degree of NHX gene family homology. Expression analysis revealed that the <i>F. suspensa</i> NHX gene family exhibits distinct and tissue-specific responses to drought, salt, and exogenous ABA stress. Among the NHX members, FsNHX3 and FsNHX6 exhibited the most pronounced and sustained transcriptional upregulation across the three stress treatments, suggesting their potential involvement in stress response. These findings provide valuable insights for the further exploration of the functions and molecular mechanisms of the NHX gene family in <i>Forsythia</i> under salt and drought stress, offering valuable candidate genetic resources for breeding <i>Forsythia</i> varieties with enhanced tolerance to salinity and dehydration.</p></div> 2026-10-01T17:26:21Z Image Figure 10.1371/journal.pone.0359565.s003 https://figshare.com/articles/figure/_p_Conserved_domain_of_NHX_proteins_in_i_Forsythia_i_p_/34047662 CC BY 4.0