Identification of the AKR gene family in sweet cherry and its response to different abiotic stresses

To explore the role of aldehyde-keto reductase (AKR) gene family in sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) responses to abiotic stresses, we identified 38 PaAKR genes via bioinformatics and analyzed their expression under PEG6000 (drought), NaCl (salinity), and ABA (hormone) treatments. Evolutionary analysis classified these genes into 5 subfamilies, with cis-acting elements indicating involvement in stress and hormone signaling. Real-time PCR showed that 8 genes (PaAKR3, PaAKR6, PaAKR10, PaAKR12, PaAKR17, PaAKR24, PaAKR28, PaAKR34) were strongly responsive to all three treatments. These findings highlight the potential of PaAKRs in mediating abiotic stress adaptation in sweet cherry and provide key candidate genes for enhancing stress resistance through functional studies.