Pyrus pyrifolia WRKY31 activates the ribosomal protein gene RPL12 to confer black spot resistance.

Ribosomal proteins (RPs) are essential for genetic transcription and translation, playing a key role in plant growth, development, and stress responses, including disease resistance. However, the function and transcriptional regulation of RPL12 remain poorly understood. Investigating the gene function and the transcription factors that govern its expression is crucial to understanding its mechanism.

The PbbHLH62/PbVHA-B1 module confers salt tolerance through modulating intracellular Na/K homeostasis and reactive oxygen species removal in pear.

The vacuolar H-ATPase (V-ATPase) is a multi-subunit membrane protein complex, which plays pivotal roles in building up an electrochemical H-gradient across tonoplast, energizing Na sequestration into the central vacuole, and enhancing salt stress tolerance in plants. In this study, a B subunit of V-ATPase gene, PbVHA-B1 was discovered and isolated from stress-induced P. betulaefolia combining with RT-PCR method.

PbWRKY18 promotes resistance against black spot disease by activation of the chalcone synthase gene PbCHS3 in pear.

Flavonoids are plant pigments that play a major role in plant defense and have significant health benefits to humans. Chalcone synthase (CHS) is an important enzyme in flavonoid biosynthesis and investigation transcription factors (TFs) regulating its expression and downstream targets is critical to understanding its mechanism. Here, a novel TF, PbWRKY18, was isolated from the pear Pyrus betulaefolia.

PbHsfC1a-coordinates ABA biosynthesis and HO signalling pathways to improve drought tolerance in Pyrus betulaefolia.

Abiotic stresses have had a substantial impact on fruit crop output and quality. Plants have evolved an efficient immune system to combat abiotic stress, which employs reactive oxygen species (ROS) to activate the downstream defence response signals. Although an aquaporin protein encoded by PbPIP1;4 is identified from transcriptome analysis of Pyrus betulaefolia plants under drought treatments, little attention has been paid to the role of PIP and ROS in responding to abiotic stresses in pear plants.

Transcription factor PbbZIP4 is targeted for proteasome-mediated degradation by the ubiquitin ligase PbATL18 to influence pear's resistance to Colletotrichum fructicola by regulating the expression of PbNPR3.

Pear anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum fructicola is one of the main fungal diseases in all pear-producing areas. The degradation of ubiquitinated proteins by the 26S proteasome is a regulatory mechanism of eukaryotes. E3 ubiquitin ligase is substrate specific and is one of the most diversified and abundant enzymes in the regulation mechanism of plant ubiquitination.

PbrWRKY70 increases pear (Pyrus bretschneideri Rehd) black spot disease tolerance by negatively regulating ethylene synthesis via PbrERF1B-2.

Various pear plant cultivars exhibit diverse abilities to resist pear black spot disease (BSD), while the precise molecular mechanisms of resistance against pear BSD remain unclear. This study proposed a profound expression of a WRKY gene, namely PbrWRKY70, derived from Pyrus bretschneideri Rehd, within a BSD-resistant pear cultivar. Comparative analysis against the wild-type revealed that the overexpression of PbrWRKY70 engendered augmented BSD resistance of transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana and pear calli.

Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the pear autophagy-related gene PbrATG8 and functional verification of PbrATG8c in Pyrus bretschneideri Rehd.

Genome-wide identification, tissue-specific and stress expression analyses and functional characterization of PbrATG8s genes were conducted and the role of PbrATG8c in Botryosphaeria dothidea resistance was further investigated. Autophagy plays an important role in plant growth, development and stress tolerance. ATG8 has been reported to be an autophagy marker in many species.

The β-amylase PbrBAM3 from pear (Pyrus betulaefolia) regulates soluble sugar accumulation and ROS homeostasis in response to cold stress.

β-Amylase (BAM) is involved in sugar metabolism, but the role of BAM genes in cold tolerance remains poorly understood. Here, we report the identification and functional characterization of the chloroplast-localized BAM-encoding gene PbrBAM3 isolated from Pyrus betulaefolia. The transcript levels of PbrBAM3 were up-regulated under cold, dehydration and ABA, but repressed by maltose.

Overexpression of PbrNHX2 gene, a Na/H antiporter gene isolated from Pyrus betulaefolia, confers enhanced tolerance to salt stress via modulating ROS levels.

Intracellular Na/H antiporters (NHXs) play important roles in plant tolerance to salt stress. However, plant NHXs functioning in salt tolerance and the underlying physiological mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this report, we report the identification and functional characterization of PbrNHX2 isolated from Pyrus betulaefolia.

A WRKY transcription factor PbrWRKY53 from Pyrus betulaefolia is involved in drought tolerance and AsA accumulation.

WRKY comprises a large family of transcription factors in plants, but most WRKY members are still poorly understood. In this study, we report the identification and functional characterization of PbrWRKY53 isolated from Pyrus betulaefolia. PbrWRKY53 was greatly up-regulated by drought and abscisic acid, but slightly induced by salt and cold.

A novel MYB transcription factor regulates ascorbic acid synthesis and affects cold tolerance.

Dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR) plays an important role in stress responses, but the transcriptional regulation of DHAR in response to abiotic stress is still poorly understood. In this study, we isolated a novel R2R3-type MYB transcription factor from Pyrus betulaefolia by yeast one-hybrid screening, designated as PbrMYB5. PbrMYB5 was localized in the nucleus and could bind specifically to the promoter of PbrDHAR2.

PbrMYB21, a novel MYB protein of Pyrus betulaefolia, functions in drought tolerance and modulates polyamine levels by regulating arginine decarboxylase gene.

MYB comprises a large family of transcription factors that play significant roles in plant development and stress response in plants. However, knowledge concerning the functions of MYBs and the target genes remains poorly understood. Here, we report the identification and functional characterization of a novel stress-responsive MYB gene from Pyrus betulaefolia.