AUTHOR=Li Zhaowu , Gao Junping , Wang Genhong , Wang Shuaibin , Chen Kai , Pu Wenxuan , Wang Yaofu , Xia Qingyou , Fan Xiaorong 

TITLE=Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of GASA Gene Family in Nicotiana tabacum

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Genetics

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2021.768942

DOI=10.3389/fgene.2021.768942

ISSN=1664-8021

ABSTRACT=<p>The gibberellic acid stimulated Arabidopsis (<italic>GASA</italic>) gene family is critical for plant growth, development, and stress response. <italic>GASA</italic> gene family has been studied in various plant species, however, the <italic>GASA</italic> gene family in tobacco (<italic>Nicotiana tabacum</italic>) have not been characterized in detail. In this study, we identified 18 <italic>GASA</italic> genes in the tobacco genome, which were distributed to 13 chromosomes. All the proteins contained a conserved GASA domain and highly specific 12-cysteine residues at the C-terminus. Phylogenetic analysis divided the <italic>NtGASA</italic> genes into three well-conserved subfamilies. Synteny analysis suggested that tandem and segmental duplications played an important role in the expansion of the <italic>NtGASA</italic> gene family. <italic>Cis</italic>-elements analysis showed that <italic>NtGASA</italic> genes might influence different phytohormone and stress responses. Tissue expression analysis revealed that <italic>NtGASA</italic> genes displayed unique or distinct expression patterns in different tissues, suggesting their potential roles in plant growth and development. We also found that the expression of <italic>NtGASA</italic> genes were mostly regulated by abscisic and gibberellic acid, signifying their roles in the two phytohormone signaling pathways. Overall, these findings improve our understanding of <italic>NtGASA</italic> genes and provided useful information for further studies on their molecular functions.</p>