Genome-wide characterization of family in reveals the significant roles of in leaf growth.

(AIL) transcription factors are widely studied and play crucial roles in plant growth and development. However, the functions of the family in legume species are largely unknown. In this study, 11 genes were identified in the model legume , of which four of them are . analysis showed that was highly expressed in the shoot apical meristem (SAM) and leaf primordium. Characterization of quadruple mutants and -overexpressing plants revealed that were not only necessary but also sufficient for the regulation of leaf size, and indicated that they mainly function in the regulation of cell proliferation during secondary morphogenesis of leaves in . This study systematically analyzed the family at the genome-wide level and revealed the functions of in leaf growth. Thus, these genes may provide a potential application for promoting the biomass of legume forages.