Bioinformatics analysis of PAE family in Populus trichocarpa and responsiveness to carbon and nitrogen treatment.

Plant Pectin acetylesterase (PAE) belongs to family CE13 of carbohydrate esterases in the CAZy database. The ability of PAE to regulate the degree of acetylation of pectin, an important polysaccharide in the cell wall, affects the structure of plant cell wall. In this study, ten PtPAE genes were identified and characterized in Populus trichocarpa genome using bioinformatics methods, and the physiochemical properties such as molecular weight, isoelectric points, and hydrophilicity, as well as the secondary and tertiary structure of the protein were predicted. According to phylogenetic analysis, ten PtPAEs can be divided into three evolutionary clades, each of which had similar gene structure and motifs. Tissue-specific expression profiles indicated that the PtPAEs had different expression patterns. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis showed that transcription level of PtPAEs was regulated by different CO2 and nitrogen concentrations. These results provide important information for the study of the phylogenetic relationship and function of PtPAEs in Populus trichocarpa. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-021-02918-1. © King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology 2021.