Genome-Wide Investigation of the Gene Family in Expression Profiles during Development and Stress.

Poplar are planted extensively in reforestation and afforestation. However, their successful establishment largely depends on the environmental conditions of the newly established plantation and their resistance to abiotic as well as biotic stresses. NF-X1, a widespread transcription factor in plants, plays an irreplaceable role in plant growth, development, and stress tolerance. Although the whole genome sequence of has been published for a long time, little is known about the genes in poplar, especially those related to drought stress, mechanical damage, insect feeding, and hormone response at the whole genome level. In this study, whole genome analysis of the poplar family was performed, and 4 genes were identified. Then, bioinformatics analysis and qRT-PCR were applied to analyze the gene structure, phylogeny, chromosomal localization, gene replication, Cis-elements, and expression patterns of . Sequence analysis revealed that one-quarter of the genes did not contain introns. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all genes were split into three subfamilies. The number of two pairs of segmented replication genes were detected in poplars. Cis-acting element analysis identified a large number of elements of growth and development and stress-related elements on the promoters of different members. In addition, some could be significantly induced by polyethylene glycol (PEG) and abscisic acid (ABA), thus revealing their potential role in regulating stress response. Comprehensive analysis is helpful in selecting candidate genes for the follow-up study of the biological function, and molecular genetic progress of stress resistance in forest trees provides genetic resources.