Prediction of the sea buckthorn AQP gene structure and its spatiotemporal expression pattern under drought stress

Aquaporins (AQPs) are transmembrane proteins in the cell membrane that selectively transport water and other small molecules, which play important regulatory roles under drought stress. In this study, the full-length AQP gene was obtained by RACE technology, the structure and subcellular localization, transmembrane domain and functional sites of AQP in Sea buckthorn were analysed. Additionally, the expression of AQP in different tissues was studied. The results showed that AQP was located to the cell membrane, and the main constituent elements of the protein secondary structure were composed of α-helixes and random coils, it contained seven transmembrane helices; AQP expression in each tissue reached the highest level on the 15th day after stress and decreased rapidly after rehydration. The AQP gene has distinct structural characteristics and expression patterns to adapt to drought stress. This study provides the foundation for further characterizing the mechanism of sea buckthorn drought resistance. Graphical abstract