Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of Members in the YT521-B Homology Domain-Containing RNA Binding Protein Family in .

-methyladenosine (mA) is a widespread post-transcriptional modification of RNA in eukaryotes. The conserved YTH-domain-containing RNA binding protein has been widely reported to serve as a typical mA reader in various species. However, no studies have reported the mA readers in (). In this study, a systematic analysis of the mA reader (YTH) gene family was performed on , identifying 10 genes in its genome. Phylogenetic analysis of protein-coding sequences revealed that genes from could be classified into two subgroups: and in and in , each with similar motifs and gene structures. In , the predicated aromatic cage pocket of the YTH domains in the gene family is uniformly composed of tryptophan residues (WWW). Subcellular localization experiments verified that is indeed localized in the nucleus, while is localized in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm. The expression patterns of the identified mA reader genes showed a wide distribution but were tissue-specific. Most genes were highly expressed in leaves, followed by the stem, while the lowest expression tendency was found in the roots. Cis-regulatory element analysis predicted the possible functions of genes in , which were mainly responsive to plant hormones such as ABA and MeJA, as well as stress responses. Furthermore, the expression levels of genes indeed changed significantly after ABA, MeJA, and NaCl treatments, suggesting that they can be affected by these abiotic factors. In addition, the PLAAC prediction results indicate that prion domains exist in , , , , , , , and , and phase separation is possible. This study provides a foundation for further investigation of the effects of mA methylation on gene expression regulation in and other forest trees.