AUTHOR=Liu Yuan , Luo Cong , Liang Rongzhen , Lan Moying , Yu Haixia , Guo Yihang , Chen Shuquan , Lu Tingting , Mo Xiao , He Xinhua 

TITLE=Genome-wide identification of the mango CONSTANS (CO) family and functional analysis of two MiCOL9 genes in transgenic Arabidopsis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.1028987

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2022.1028987

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>CONSTANS</italic>/<italic>CONSTANS</italic>-<italic>like</italic> (<italic>CO</italic>/<italic>COL</italic>) transcription factors play a vital role in the photoperiodic flowering pathway. However, the biological functions of <italic>COL</italic> genes in mango are unclear. In this study, we identified 31 <italic>COL</italic> genes from the ‘Jin Huang’ mango genome and divided them into three groups according to the specific gene structure and protein domain characteristics. These 31 <italic>MiCOL</italic> genes were heterogeneously distributed on 14 chromosomes. Expression pattern analysis showed that most <italic>MiCOL</italic> genes were mainly expressed in leaves and stems and during the floral induction period, followed by the floral differentiation period. The expression of <italic>COL</italic> genes was induced by drought and salt stress, but the expression patterns of different genes were different, which may suggest that <italic>MiCOL</italic> genes are involved in the abiotic stress response of mango. Under salt and drought conditions, two <italic>MiCOL9</italic> genes can improve the resistance of <italic>Arabidopsis</italic> by improving the scavenging ability of ROS and proline accumulation and reducing the MDA content. Additionally, overexpression of <italic>MiCOL9</italic> genes significantly inhibited flowering in transgenic <italic>Arabidopsis</italic>. This work provides an important foundation for understanding the biological roles of mango <italic>COL</italic> genes in plant growth, development and stress responses.</p>