Research Article
Open Access
Characterization, Evolutionary Insights, and Stress-Responsive Expression of the Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase (PEPC) Gene Family in Salix Matsudana
1
Key Laboratory of Landscape Plant Genetics and Breeding, School of Life Sciences, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, China
2
Analysis and Testing Center, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, China
†
These authors contributed equally to this work
Corresponding Author:
Jian Zhang,
[email protected]
Volume 1, Issue 1
2025
Received: 15 December 2025
Accepted: 03 January 2026
Published: 17 March 2026
Article Information
Abstract
Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) is a vital enzyme in plant carbon metabolism, catalyzing the conversion of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to oxaloacetate (OAA), a key intermediate in numerous biosynthetic pathways. PEPC family members are usually classified into PTPC and BTPC subfamilies, and PTPC subfamily is characterized by a conserved N-terminal serine phosphorylation site, while BTPC lacks this site. In this study, we identified 10 Salix matsudana PEPC genes (SmPEPCs), which were classified into two subfamilies, PTPC and BTPC, based on phylogenetic tree. Our findings highlighted significant gene duplication events that contributed to the expansion of the SmPEPC gene family, shedding light on its evolutionary development in willow. Comparative synteny analysis with Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, Populus trichocarpa, and S. purpurea revealed both conserved and diverged patterns of PEPC organization across species. Interaction network analysis, along with Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis, indicated that SmPEPCs are involved in crucial metabolic pathways related to carbon flux. Expression profiling under salt or submergence stress revealed distinct expression patterns of SmPEPCs. Specifically, SmPEPC9 showed predominant upregulation under salt stress, while SmPEPC6 was mainly upregulated in submergence-tolerant varieties under submergence stress. These results suggested that SmPEPCs potentially modulate carbon flux and organic acid metabolism to mitigate stress effects, playing a central role in stress adaptation mechanisms.
Graphical Abstract
Keywords
Salix matsudana
PEPC
synteny analysis
salt or submergence stress
Data Availability Statement
Data will be made available on request.
Funding
This work was supported in part by the Basic Research Program of Jiangsu under Grant BK20250951; in part by the Basic Research Project of Nantong under Grant JC2023104; in part by the Jiangsu Province College Students' Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program under Grant 202410304106Y; in part by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
AI Use Statement
The authors declare that no generative AI was used in the preparation of this manuscript.
Ethical Approval and Consent to Participate
Not applicable.
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Wei, H., Cao, Y., Zhou, X., Sun, K., Shan, Y., Cao, T., Liu, G., Lian, B., Zhong, F., Shi, J., & Zhang, J. (2026). Characterization, Evolutionary Insights, and Stress-Responsive Expression of the Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase (PEPC) Gene Family in Salix Matsudana. Plant Innovation Journal, 1(1), 27–49. https://doi.org/10.62762/PIJ.2025.111778
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TY - JOUR AU - Wei, Hui AU - Cao, Yi AU - Zhou, Xiaoxi AU - Sun, Kaixin AU - Shan, Yuxin AU - Cao, Tongtong AU - Liu, Guoyuan AU - Lian, Bolin AU - Zhong, Fei AU - Shi, Jian AU - Zhang, Jian PY - 2026 DA - 2026/03/17 TI - Characterization, Evolutionary Insights, and Stress-Responsive Expression of the Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase (PEPC) Gene Family in Salix Matsudana JO - Plant Innovation Journal T2 - Plant Innovation Journal JF - Plant Innovation Journal VL - 1 IS - 1 SP - 27 EP - 49 DO - 10.62762/PIJ.2025.111778 UR - https://www.icck.org/article/abs/PIJ.2025.111778 KW - Salix matsudana KW - PEPC KW - synteny analysis KW - salt or submergence stress AB - Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) is a vital enzyme in plant carbon metabolism, catalyzing the conversion of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to oxaloacetate (OAA), a key intermediate in numerous biosynthetic pathways. PEPC family members are usually classified into PTPC and BTPC subfamilies, and PTPC subfamily is characterized by a conserved N-terminal serine phosphorylation site, while BTPC lacks this site. In this study, we identified 10 Salix matsudana PEPC genes (SmPEPCs), which were classified into two subfamilies, PTPC and BTPC, based on phylogenetic tree. Our findings highlighted significant gene duplication events that contributed to the expansion of the SmPEPC gene family, shedding light on its evolutionary development in willow. Comparative synteny analysis with Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, Populus trichocarpa, and S. purpurea revealed both conserved and diverged patterns of PEPC organization across species. Interaction network analysis, along with Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis, indicated that SmPEPCs are involved in crucial metabolic pathways related to carbon flux. Expression profiling under salt or submergence stress revealed distinct expression patterns of SmPEPCs. Specifically, SmPEPC9 showed predominant upregulation under salt stress, while SmPEPC6 was mainly upregulated in submergence-tolerant varieties under submergence stress. These results suggested that SmPEPCs potentially modulate carbon flux and organic acid metabolism to mitigate stress effects, playing a central role in stress adaptation mechanisms. SN - pending PB - Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge LA - English ER -
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@article{Wei2026Characteri,
author = {Hui Wei and Yi Cao and Xiaoxi Zhou and Kaixin Sun and Yuxin Shan and Tongtong Cao and Guoyuan Liu and Bolin Lian and Fei Zhong and Jian Shi and Jian Zhang},
title = {Characterization, Evolutionary Insights, and Stress-Responsive Expression of the Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase (PEPC) Gene Family in Salix Matsudana},
journal = {Plant Innovation Journal},
year = {2026},
volume = {1},
number = {1},
pages = {27-49},
doi = {10.62762/PIJ.2025.111778},
url = {https://www.icck.org/article/abs/PIJ.2025.111778},
abstract = {Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) is a vital enzyme in plant carbon metabolism, catalyzing the conversion of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to oxaloacetate (OAA), a key intermediate in numerous biosynthetic pathways. PEPC family members are usually classified into PTPC and BTPC subfamilies, and PTPC subfamily is characterized by a conserved N-terminal serine phosphorylation site, while BTPC lacks this site. In this study, we identified 10 Salix matsudana PEPC genes (SmPEPCs), which were classified into two subfamilies, PTPC and BTPC, based on phylogenetic tree. Our findings highlighted significant gene duplication events that contributed to the expansion of the SmPEPC gene family, shedding light on its evolutionary development in willow. Comparative synteny analysis with Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, Populus trichocarpa, and S. purpurea revealed both conserved and diverged patterns of PEPC organization across species. Interaction network analysis, along with Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis, indicated that SmPEPCs are involved in crucial metabolic pathways related to carbon flux. Expression profiling under salt or submergence stress revealed distinct expression patterns of SmPEPCs. Specifically, SmPEPC9 showed predominant upregulation under salt stress, while SmPEPC6 was mainly upregulated in submergence-tolerant varieties under submergence stress. These results suggested that SmPEPCs potentially modulate carbon flux and organic acid metabolism to mitigate stress effects, playing a central role in stress adaptation mechanisms.},
keywords = {Salix matsudana, PEPC, synteny analysis, salt or submergence stress},
issn = {pending},
publisher = {Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge}
}
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