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Updated: Jan 17, 2026
Imaging and Analysis for Quantifying Maize (Zea mays) Abiotic Stress Phenotypes
Published on: March 28, 2025
Analysis of maize PAL pan gene family and expression pattern under lepidopteran insect stress
Tonghan Wang1,2, Yaohui Zheng1,2, Lu Sun1,3
1Engineering Technology Institute of Maize Breeding in Anhui Province, Chuzhou, China.
Introduction:
Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), as the rate-limiting enzyme in plant phenylpropanoid metabolism, catalyzes the conversion of L-phenylalanine to trans-cinnamic acid and plays a pivotal role in plant-insect resistance mechanisms.
Methods:
Utilizing a maize pangenome constructed from 26 high-quality genomes, we systematically identified the ZmPAL gene family members. Evolutionary pressure and structural variation (SV) analyses were conducted, alongside reanalysis of publicly available RNA-seq datasets under lepidopteran stress conditions. Temporal expression patterns were further validated via qRT-PCR.
Results:
This investigation identified 29 ZmPAL genes, comprising 7 core, 2 near-core, 12 dispensable, and 8 private genes, revealing substantial limitations of single-reference genome-based studies. Evolutionary analysis indicated positive selection of ZmPAL8 in specific germplasms, while SV-affected ZmPAL5 exhibited significantly divergent expression patterns. Conserved expression profiles were observed among ZmPAL members under diverse lepidopteran stresses. Temporal-specific regulation was established: ZmPAL7, ZmPAL10, and ZmPAL23 dominated early defense responses, whereas ZmPAL10 and ZmPAL23 maintained predominance during mid-late phases.
Discussion:
This pangenome-based study provides novel insights into PAL-mediated phytoprotective mechanisms against lepidopteran pests and establishes a theoretical framework for understanding maize's molecular adaptation to biotic stressors.
