Genomic and functional insights into the diversity of defensin gene family.

UNLABELLED

Plant defensins are known for their diverse functional roles in development and stress tolerance. We explored the structural and functional diversity of the defensin gene family in C (CanDef) genomes (CM334 and UCD10Xv1.1). A total of 63 unique full-length genes were identified through BLASTn and BLASTp analysis. The CanDefs possessed ~ 46 to 88 amino acids and categorized into four groups based on their length, presence of C-terminal tail and gamma-core region. Their phylogenetic analysis with other plant and invertebrate defensin proteins resulted in seven clades of which 37 CanDefs aligned in the recently diversified clade. Most  localized to chromosome-7. CanDefs contained functional motifs like gamma thionin, knot domain or scorpion toxin domain. Cis-elements and miRNA target sites related to phytohormone signaling, stress responses and development were enriched in the upstream of  and indicated diverse biological functions. In silico RNA-seq analysis revealed unique expression of  in tissues under different stresses. varied their gene expression in stress conditions significantly with , and being the most prominently expressed. In choice assay,  larvae were attracted towards  leaves expressing CanDefs, whereas their growth reduced in the no-choice assay. In conclusion, the genomic, molecular and functional insights on CanDef diversity highlight their significance in plant development and response to biotic/abiotic stresses.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-025-04256-y.