Ming Meiling, Yi Mulin, Sun Kexin, Zu Anning, Zhang Juan, Fu Fangfang, Cao Fuliang, Yang Xiaoming
State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.
Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Aug 29;26(17):8427. doi: 10.3390/ijms26178427.
B-box (BBX) transcription factors, which are specific to the plant kingdom, play a crucial role in regulating light-dependent growth, development, secondary metabolite biosynthesis, and the response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Despite their significance, there has been a lack of systematic investigation into the BBX gene family in . In the present study, we identified nine BBX genes within the reference genome, distributed across seven chromosomes, and classified them into four groups based on their phylogenetic relationships with the BBX gene families of . Our analysis of gene structure, conserved domains, and motifs suggests that s exhibit a high degree of conservation throughout evolutionary history. Additionally, synteny analysis revealed that dispersed duplication events have contributed to the expansion of the BBX gene family in . An examination of cis-regulatory elements indicated that numerous genes contain motifs associated with light, hormones, and stress, suggesting their potential roles in responding to these signals and environmental adaptation. Expression profiles obtained from RNA-Seq data and quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR) analyses of genes across various organs, hormone treatments, and leaves with differing flavonoid content, as well as during both short-term and long-term water stress, demonstrated their potential roles in flavonoid regulation and responses to hormones and water stress. Subcellular localization studies indicated that the proteins GbBBX5, GbBBX7, GbBBX8, and GbBBX9 are localized within the nucleus. This study is the first thorough analysis of the BBX gene family in , providing a valuable foundation for further understanding their evolutionary context and functional roles in flavonoid regulation and responses to water stress.
B-box（BBX）转录因子是植物界特有的，在调节光依赖型生长、发育、次生代谢物生物合成以及对生物和非生物胁迫的响应中发挥着关键作用。尽管它们很重要，但在[具体物种]中对BBX基因家族缺乏系统的研究。在本研究中，我们在[具体物种]参考基因组中鉴定出9个BBX基因，分布在7条染色体上，并根据它们与[对比物种]BBX基因家族的系统发育关系将它们分为4组。我们对基因结构、保守结构域和基序的分析表明，[具体物种]在整个进化历史中表现出高度的保守性。此外，共线性分析表明，分散重复事件促成了[具体物种]中BBX基因家族的扩张。对顺式调控元件的研究表明，许多[具体物种]基因含有与光、激素和胁迫相关的基序，表明它们在响应这些信号和环境适应中的潜在作用。从RNA-Seq数据以及对[具体物种]基因在各个器官、激素处理、不同黄酮含量的叶片以及短期和长期水分胁迫期间的定量实时PCR（qRT-PCR）分析中获得的表达谱，证明了它们在黄酮类化合物调节以及对激素和水分胁迫响应中的潜在作用。亚细胞定位研究表明，GbBBX5、GbBBX7、GbBBX8和GbBBX9蛋白定位于细胞核内。本研究是对[具体物种]中BBX基因家族的首次全面分析，为进一步了解它们在黄酮类化合物调节和水分胁迫响应中的进化背景和功能作用提供了有价值的基础。
