Genome-Wide Characterization and Anthocyanin-Related Expression Analysis of the Gene Family in L.

The transcription factors, B-box (BBX), belong to a subfamily of the zinc finger family of proteins and exhibit multiple biological functions in plant growth, development, and abiotic stress response pathways. In this study, a total of 23 members were identified using the pepper reference genome database. According to the gene structure, conserved domains, and the phylogenetic tree, 23 genes were divided into four groups, wherein the analysis of the promoter region indicated the presence of -acting elements related to plant development, hormones, and stress response. Interspecies collinearity analysis showed that the had three duplicated gene pairs, and the highest gene density was found on chromosomes 2 and 7. Transcriptome RNA-seq data and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis of pepper plants spanning the entire period showed that more than half of the genes were widely expressed in diversity tissues of pepper. Co-expression network analysis indicated that the and the anthocyanin structural genes had a close co-expression relationship. Thus, it was reasonably speculated that the genes may be involved in the regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis. Overall, this study involved the genome-wide characterization of the family and may serve as a solid foundation for further investigations on genes involved in the anthocyanin synthesis mechanisms and development in pepper.