Systematic Analysis of Kelch Repeat F-box (KFB) Protein Gene Family and Identification of Phenolic Acid Regulation Members in Bunge.

is a well-known Chinese herb for the clinical treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Tanshinones and phenolic acids are the major secondary metabolites and significant pharmacological constituents of this plant. Kelch repeat F-box (KFB) proteins play important roles in plant secondary metabolism, but their regulation mechanism in has not been characterized. In this study, we systematically characterized the KFB gene family. In total, 31 genes were isolated from . Phylogenetic analysis of those indicated that 31 can be divided into four groups. Thereinto, five () shared high homology with other plant KFBs which have been described to be regulators of secondary metabolism. The expression profile of under methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatment deciphered that six () were significantly downregulated, and two () were significantly upregulated. Tissue-specific expression analysis found that four () were expressed preferentially in aerial tissues, while two () were predominantly expressed in roots. Through a systematic analysis, we speculated that are potentially involved in phenolic acids biosynthesis.