Wang Chong, Lan Mengjiao, Xiao Manqiu, Peng Ying, Pan Hao, Deng Jiaqi, Wu Wensheng
Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Oil Crops Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crops, Jiangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanchang, China.
Institute of Food Crops, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, China.
Front Genet. 2025 Jul 9;16:1635749. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2025.1635749. eCollection 2025.
GATAs, a type of zinc finger protein transcription factors, can bind to DNA regulatory regions to control the expression of target genes, thereby affecting plant growth and development under normal conditions or environmental stress. However, the gene family has not been identified in sweet potato. In this study, a total of 35, 33, 34, 39, 63, and 56 genes were identified in sweet potato, , , , , and , respectively. Phylogenetic analysis categorized the genes into six groups according to their distinct features, and this classification was validated by the structural characteristics of exons/introns and conserved motif analysis. The -acting elements located in the promoter regions were also found to be enriched with biotic and abiotic responsive elements, which may play a pivotal role in plant stress adaptation. Then the gene duplication events and synteny between the genome of sweet potato and those of , , , , and were analyzed, which provided insights into evolutionary mechanisms. Moreover, expression pattern analysis was performed on genes, many of which were significantly induced by multiple types of abiotic stress, which may render these genes candidates for molecular breeding strategies in sweet potato. Overall, this experiment conducted a systematic exploration of genes by investigating their evolutionary relationships, structural characteristics, functional properties, and expression patterns, thereby establishing a theoretical foundation for further in-depth research on the features of the gene family.
GATA 蛋白是一类锌指蛋白转录因子，能够结合 DNA 调控区域以控制靶基因的表达，进而在正常条件或环境胁迫下影响植物的生长发育。然而，甘薯中尚未鉴定出该基因家族。在本研究中，分别在甘薯中鉴定出了 35、33、34、39、63 和 56 个该基因。系统发育分析根据其不同特征将这些基因分为六组，并且通过外显子/内含子的结构特征和保守基序分析验证了这种分类。还发现位于启动子区域的顺式作用元件富含生物和非生物响应元件，这可能在植物胁迫适应中起关键作用。随后分析了甘薯基因组与其他物种基因组之间的基因复制事件和共线性，这为进化机制提供了见解。此外，对这些基因进行了表达模式分析，其中许多基因受到多种非生物胁迫的显著诱导，这可能使这些基因成为甘薯分子育种策略的候选基因。总体而言，本实验通过研究这些基因的进化关系、结构特征、功能特性和表达模式，对 GATA 基因进行了系统的探索，从而为进一步深入研究 GATA 基因家族的特征奠定了理论基础。
