Genome-wide investigation of pentatricopeptide repeat gene family in poplar and their expression analysis in response to biotic and abiotic stresses

Pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins, which are characterized by tandem 30–40 amino acid sequence motifs, constitute of a large gene family in plants. Some PPR proteins have been identified to play important roles in organellar RNA metabolism and organ development in Arabidopsis and rice. However, functions of PPR genes in woody species remain largely unknown. Here, we identified and characterized a total of 626 PPR genes containing PPR motifs in the Populus trichocarpa genome. A comprehensive genome-wide analysis of the poplar PPR gene family was performed, including chromosomal location, phylogenetic relationships and gene duplication. Genome-wide transcriptomic analysis showed that 154 of the PtrPPR genes were induced by biotic and abiotic treatments, including Marssonina brunnea, salicylic acid (SA), methyl jasmonate (MeJA), mechanical wounding, cold and salinity stress. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis further investigated the expression profiles of 11 PtrPPR genes under different stresses. Our results contribute to a comprehensive understanding the roles of PPR proteins and provided an insight for improving the stress tolerance in poplar.