Genome-Wide Identification, Classification and Expression Analysis of the Gene Superfamily in Tea Plant ().

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) function as molecular chaperones. These proteins are encoded by a multigene family whose members play crucial roles in plant growth, development and stress response. However, little is known about the gene superfamily in tea plant. In this study, a total of 47 genes were identified, including 7 , 18 , and 22 genes. Phylogenetic and composition analyses showed that CsHSP proteins in the same subfamily have similar gene structures and conserved motifs, but significant differences exist in the different subfamilies. In addition, expression analysis revealed that almost all genes were specifically expressed in one or more tissues, and significantly induced under heat and drought stress, implying that genes play important roles in tea plant growth, development, and response to heat and drought stress. Furthermore, a potential interaction network dominated by CsHSPs, including HSP70/HSP90 organizing protein (HOP) and heat shock transcription factor (HSF), is closely related to the abovementioned processes. These results increase our understanding of genes and their roles in tea plant, and thus, this study could contribute to the cloning and functional analysis of genes and their encoded proteins in the future.