Genome-Wide Bioinformatics Analysis of Gene Family and Expression Verification of Candidate Genes in .

Sugars act as the main energy sources in many fruit and vegetable crops. The biosynthesis and transportation of sugars are crucial and especially contribute to growth and development. is an important gene family that plays a vital role in plants' growth, development, and adaptation to various types of stresses (biotic and abiotic). Although genes have been identified in numerous plant species, there is no information on in . In the present study, we performed a comprehensive genome-wide bioinformatics analysis and identified a total of 23 candidate genes in the genome, which were randomly distributed on ten different chromosomes. The phylogenetic analysis, chromosomal location, gene structure, specific cis-elements, protein interaction network, and physiological characteristics of these genes were systematically examined. The identified results of the phylogenetic relationship with revealed that these genes were divided into four clades (I, II, III, and IV). Moreover, tissue-specific gene expression through quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) validation exposed that the identified were differentially expressed in various tissues (roots, stems, leaves, and flowers). Mainly, the relative fold gene expression in swollen and unswollen tubers effectively revealed that (7, 9, and 12) were highly expressed (300-, 120-, and 100-fold) in swollen tubers. To further elucidate the function of (7, 9, and 12), their subcellular location was confirmed by inserting them into tobacco leaves, and it was noted that these genes were present on the cell membrane. On the basis of the overall results, it is suggested that (7, 9, and 12) are the candidate genes involved in swollen tuber formation in . In crux, we speculated that our study provides a valuable theoretical base for further in-depth function analysis of the gene family and their role in tuber development and further enhancing the molecular breeding of