AUTHOR=Ren Lei , Wu Haixia , Zhang Tingting , Ge Xinyu , Wang Tianlong , Zhou Wuyu , Zhang Lei , Ma Daifu , Wang Aimin 

TITLE=Genome-Wide Identification of TCP Transcription Factors Family in Sweet Potato Reveals Significant Roles of miR319-Targeted TCPs in Leaf Anatomical Morphology

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2021.686698

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2021.686698

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Plant-specific TCP transcription factors play vital roles in the controlling of growth, development, and the stress response processes. Extensive researches have been carried out in numerous species, however, there hasn’t been any information available about <italic>TCP</italic> genes in sweet potato (<italic>Ipomoea batatas</italic> L.). In this study, a genome-wide analysis of <italic>TCP</italic> genes was carried out to explore the evolution and function in sweet potato. Altogether, 18 <italic>IbTCPs</italic> were identified and cloned. The expression profiles of the <italic>IbTCPs</italic> differed dramatically in different organs or different stages of leaf development. Furthermore, four CIN-clade <italic>IbTCP</italic> genes contained miR319-binding sites. Blocking <italic>IbmiR319</italic> significantly increased the expression level of <italic>IbTCP11/17</italic> and resulted in a decreased photosynthetic rate due to the change in leaf submicroscopic structure, indicating the significance of IbmiR319-targeted <italic>IbTCPs</italic> in leaf anatomical morphology. A systematic analyzation on the characterization of the <italic>IbTCPs</italic> together with the primary functions in leaf anatomical morphology were conducted to afford a basis for further study of the <italic>IbmiR319</italic>/<italic>IbTCP</italic> module in association with leaf anatomical morphology in sweet potato.</p>