Genome-Wide Analysis of the Gene Family Reveals Soybean Expression Pattern and Functional Analysis.

The Dof (DNA-binding with one finger) domain protein family is a plant-specific zinc finger transcription factor family that plays a role in various biological processes in plants. However, research on transcription factors in soybean () remains limited. In this study, we identified 79 putative soybean genes, which are distributed across the entire genome. A comparative phylogenetic analysis of the gene family in soybean, , rice, maize, and revealed five major groups. The synteny relationship analysis showed a large number of gene duplication events in soybean. Twelve cis-acting elements were detected in the promoter region of the gene, including five hormone response elements and several environmental response elements. Expression pattern analysis indicated that most genes exhibited specific expression patterns. Nine genes in group V, which exhibited higher expression in the root, were identified as significantly responsive to salt stress through qRT-PCR. The possible biological functions of several genes were discussed, including , , and . In summary, this study integrated phylogenetic analysis with genome-wide expression profiling to provide valuable information for understanding the functional characteristics of genes in soybean.