AUTHOR=Sun Liangqing , Zhao Lanjie , Huang Hui , Zhang Yuexin , Wang Junjuan , Lu Xuke , Wang Shuai , Wang Delong , Chen Xiugui , Chen Chao , Guo Lixue , Xu Nan , Zhang Hong , Wang Jing , Rui Cun , Han Mingge , Fan Yapeng , Nie Taili , Ye Wuwei 

TITLE=Genome-wide identification, evolution and function analysis of UGTs superfamily in cotton

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/molecular-biosciences/articles/10.3389/fmolb.2022.965403

DOI=10.3389/fmolb.2022.965403

ISSN=2296-889X

ABSTRACT=<p>Glycosyltransferases mainly catalyse the glycosylation reaction in living organisms and widely exists in plants. <italic>UGTs</italic> have been identified from <italic>G. raimondii</italic>, <italic>G. arboreum</italic> and <italic>G. hirsutum</italic>. However, Genome-wide systematic analysis of <italic>UGTs</italic> superfamily have not been studied in <italic>G. barbadense</italic>. 752 <italic>UGTs</italic> were identified from four cotton species and grouped into 18 clades, of which R was newly discovered clades. Most <italic>UGTs</italic> were clustered at both ends of the chromosome and showed a heterogeneous distribution. UGT proteins were widely distributed in cells, with the highest distribution in chloroplasts. <italic>UGTs</italic> of the same clade shared similar intron/exon structural features. During evolution, the gene family has undergone strong selection for purification. <italic>UGTs</italic> were significantly enriched in “transcriptional activity (GO:0016758)” and “metabolic processes (GO:0008152)”. Genes from the same clade differed in function under various abiotic stresses. The analysis of cis-acting element and qRT–PCR may indicate that <italic>GHUGT</italic>s play important roles in plant growth, development and abiotic stress. We further found that <italic>GHUGT74-2</italic> plays an important role under submergence. The study broadens the understanding of <italic>UGTs</italic> in terms of gene characteristics, evolutionary processes, and gene function in cotton and provides a new way to systematically and globally understand the structure–function relationship of multigene families in the evolutionary process.</p>