Abstract: Sulfur is an essential macronutrient for plant growth and development, and sulfate transporter (SULTR) plays key roles in sulfate (SO42-) uptake and transport in higher plants. In this study, 10 SULTR genes (CsaSULTR1;1～CsaSULTR4;1) were identified in cucumber. Phylogenetic analysis showed that SULTRs from cucumber and Arabidopsis could be divided into four groups (GROUP 1～4). Most CsaSULTR genes contained 9～12 introns, and closely related members shared similar gene structures. Promoter analysis revealed that CsaSULTR genes may be involved in responses to hormones and environmental stress. Expression profiling analysis by RNA-seq indicated that CsaSULTR genes have distinct expression patterns in different tissues, and some of them had significantly changed expression in response to downy mildew infection. Our results provide a better understanding for further functional analysis of CsSULTR genes in cucumber.
Keywords: cucumber; SULTR gene family; phylogenetic analysis; transcriptome data; downy mildew
（Acta Laser Biology Sinica, 2022, 31(4): 353-360）