Genome-wide identification and characterization of the Prunus persica ferredoxin gene family and its role in improving heat tolerance

Ferredoxin is involved in many biological processes, such as carbon fixation, nitrogen assimilation, chlorophyll metabolism, and fatty acid synthesis, and it plays a role in plant resistance to stress. However, the functions of Fds in peach during stress are unclear. In this study, 11 members of the peach Fd gene family were identified and divided into six groups (I– VI). We carried out bioinformatics analysis on these sequences, analyzed the physical and chemical properties of PpFd protein and the cis-elements in its promoter region, and predicted and compared the differences in gene structure and conserved protein motifs among groups. The results showed that the PpFd protein was highly conserved in plant species. In addition, overexpression of PpFd08 significantly increased the tolerance of transgenic tomato to high-temperature stress. The transcriptome analysis and qRT-PCR results of PpFd08 transgenic apple calli showed that PpFd08 might enhance heat resistance by modulating the expression of heat tolerance related genes. The results of this study provide a new understanding for the further study of the function of PpFd protein in peach and a candidate gene for improving the heat resistance of peach.