Global Identification and Characterization of C2 Domain-Containing Proteins Associated with Abiotic Stress Response in Rice ( L.).

C2 domain-containing proteins (C2DPs) have been identified in different genomes that contain single or multiple C2 domains in their C- or N-terminal. It possesses higher functional activity in the transmembrane regions. The identification of C2 domains were reported in a previous study, such as multiple C2 domains and transmembrane-region proteins (MCTPs) and N-terminal-TM-C2 domain proteins (NTMC2s) of rice, , and cotton, whereas the gene family in rice has not been comprehensively studied, and the role of the gene in rice in response to abiotic stress is not yet fully understood. In this study, we identified 82 C2DPs in the rice genome and divided them into seven groups through phylogenetic analysis. The synteny analysis revealed that duplication events were either exhibited within the genome of rice or between the genomes of rice and other species. Through the analysis of -acting elements in promoters, expression profiles, and qRT-PCR results, the functions of were found to be widely distributed in diverse tissues and were extensively involved in phytohormones-related and abiotic stresses response in rice. The prediction of the microRNA (miRNA) targets of revealed the possibility of regulation by consistent miRNAs. Notably, as a co-tandem duplication exhibited similar expression variations and involved the coincident miRNA-regulation pathway. Moreover, the results of the genotypic variation and haplotype analysis revealed that , , and were associated with cold stress responses. These findings provided comprehensive insights for characterizations of in rice as well as for their roles for abiotic stress.