Functional characterization of C-TERMINALLY ENCODED PEPTIDE (CEP) family in L.

The small regulatory C-TERMINALLY ENCODED PEPTIDE (CEP) peptide family plays crucial roles in plant growth and stress response. However, little is known about this peptide family in Brassica species. Here, we performed a systematic analysis to identify the putative L. () gene family. In total, 27 genes were identified and they were classified into four subgroups based on the CEP motifs similarity. genes displayed distinct expression patterns in response to both developmental and several environmental signals, suggesting their broad roles during development. Furthuremore, the synthetic BrCEP3 peptide accelerated primary root growth in a hydrogen peroxide (HO) and Ca dependent manner. In summary, our work will provide fundamental insights into the physiological function of CEP peptides during development.