AUTHOR=Wu Xiaoyu , Pan Lianhui , Guo Xinping , Li Ting , Li Jiali , Duan Qiaohong , Huang Jiabao 

TITLE=Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of BrAGC genes in Brassica rapa reveal their potential roles in sexual reproduction and abiotic stress tolerance

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Genetics

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2022.1044853

DOI=10.3389/fgene.2022.1044853

ISSN=1664-8021

ABSTRACT=<p>AGC protein kinases play important roles in regulating plant growth, immunity, and cell death. However, the function of AGC in <italic>Brassica rapa</italic> has not yet been clarified. In this study, 62 <italic>BrAGC</italic> genes were identified, and these genes were distributed on 10 chromosomes and divided into six subfamilies. Analysis of gene structure and conserved motifs showed that the activation segment of <italic>BrAGC</italic> genes was highly conserved, and genes of the same subfamily showed higher sequence and structural similarity. Collinearity analysis revealed that <italic>BrAGCs</italic> were more closely related to <italic>AtAGCs</italic> than to <italic>OsAGCs</italic>. Expression profile analysis revealed that <italic>BrAGCs</italic> were preferentially expressed in flowers and <italic>BrAGC26</italic>, <italic>BrAGC33</italic>, and <italic>BrAGC04</italic> were preferentially expressed in the stigma; the expression of these genes was significantly upregulated after self-incompatibility pollination, and the expression of <italic>BrAGC13</italic> and <italic>BrAGC32</italic> was significantly upregulated after cross-pollination. In addition, several typical <italic>cis</italic>-elements involved in the stress response were identified in <italic>BrAGC</italic> promoters. The expression levels of <italic>BrAGC37</italic> and <italic>BrAGC44</italic> significantly varied under different types of abiotic stress. Collectively, we identified that <italic>BrAGC26</italic>, <italic>BrAGC33,</italic> and <italic>BrAGC44</italic> have the greatest potential in regulating pollen-pistil interaction and abiotic stress tolerance, respectively. Our findings will aid future functional investigations of <italic>BrAGCs</italic> in <italic>B. rapa</italic>.</p>