Recently, the research group of Cao yufen, Pear germplasm resources team at the Institute of Pomology of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (IP, CAAS), revealed the role of UGT72 family genes in arbutin biosynthesis in Pyrus  and evolution driven by whole genome duplication. The results were published in the SCI District 1 (Top), Chinese Academy of Sciences & JCR Q1 journal, International Journal of Biological Macromolecule (IF: 7.7).

Arbutin is a significant characteristic secondary metabolite in pears, boasting not only a rich portfolio of healthcare benefits but also essential to the plant's own physiological activities and resistance. In this study, which illustrated that WGDs have facilitated the evolution of the UGT72 gene family, unveils the pivotal role of WGDs in the expansion and contraction of gene families. Most importantly, this study identified the gene encoding arbutin synthesis in P. betulifolia and demonstrated that WGDs have facilitated the duplication and loss of the UGT72 gene family in this species. Additionally, it elucidates the significant variations in arbutin synthetase during the evolutionary progression of pear species, which affected the divergence of arbutin synthesis mechanisms in pear. These findings offer new insights into how WGDs drive metabolic diversification. Finally, our results provide valuable evidence regarding the genetic basis of arbutin synthesis in plants and the adaptive evolution of Pyrus  species. 

Professor Cao yufen of Institute of Pomology and Professor Zhou Zhiqin of Southwest University are the corresponding author of the paper. Dr. Huo Hongliang is the first author. This study was supported by the Science and Technology Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS-ASTIP-2021-RIP-01) and the Agriculture Research System of China of MOF and MARA (CARS-28-01). Original title: Multi-omics analysis reveals the role of UGT72 family genes in arbutin biosynthesis in Pyrus  and evolution driven by whole genome duplication,

Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.139005.

By: Huo hongliang

(huohongliang@caas.cn)