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 l... More >