Mining sequences with similarity to <i>XTH</i> genes in the <i>Solanum tuberosum</i> L. transcriptome: introductory step for identifying homologous <i>XTH</i> genes

The <i>xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolase</i> (<i>XTH</i>) genes in <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i> (L.) Heynh. form part of a group of mechano-stimulated genes and play an important role in abiotic stress tolerance. Mining the RNAseq transcriptomic database of 40,430 potato (<i>Solanum tuberosum</i> L.) genes based on functional annotation and homology search, our objective was to discover potentially homologous <i>XTH</i> genes. A Gene Ontology-based <i>XTH</i> homology search and functional annotation discovered, from among the 33 <i>A. thaliana</i> (<i>AtXTH</i>) and 25 tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) (<i>SlXTH</i>) <i>XTH</i> genes, 35 gene sequences corresponding to 20 <i>AtXTH</i> genes and 40 gene sequences corresponding to 21 <i>SlXTH</i> genes, respectively. Thirteen sequences corresponding to 11 putative <i>XTH</i> genes in potato, named as <i>StXTH</i> after SlXTH genes, were significantly up- or down-regulated in response to ultrasound. These putative <i>StXTH</i> genes in potato can serve for future functional genetic analyses.