Genome-Wide Identification and Functional Analysis of the Family Genes in Response to Abiotic Stresses and Hormone Treatments in Tartary Buckwheat ().

is a plant-specific gene family with four subfamilies: , , , and . Recently, this family was found to have regulatory functions in hormone stimulation, environmental response, and development. However, little is known about the roles of the family in Tartary buckwheat (), a significant crop for both food and medicine. In this study, 18 family genes () in Tartary buckwheat were identified. The characteristics, motif compositions, and evolutionary relationships of the TIFY proteins, as well as the gene structures, -acting elements, and synteny of the genes, are discussed in detail. Moreover, we found that most responded to various abiotic stresses (cold, heat, salt, or drought) and hormone treatments (ABA, MeJA, or SA). Through yeast two-hybrid assays, we revealed that two FtTIFYs, FtTIFY1 and FtJAZ7, interacted with FtABI5, a homolog protein of AtABI5 involved in ABA-mediated germination and stress responses, implying crosstalk between ABA and JA signaling in Tartary buckwheat. Furthermore, the overexpression of and enhanced the heat stress tolerance of tobacco. Consequently, our study suggests that the family plays important roles in responses to abiotic stress and provides two candidate genes ( and ) for the cultivation of stress-resistant crops.