AUTHOR=Zhang Penglong , Liu Jing , Jia Nan , Wang Meng , Lu Yi , Wang Dongsheng , Zhang Jingzheng , Zhang Haie , Wang Xuan 

TITLE=Genome-wide identification and characterization of the bZIP gene family and their function in starch accumulation in Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima Blume)

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2023.1166717

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2023.1166717

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>The transcription factors of basic leucine zipper (bZIP) family genes play significant roles in stress response as well as growth and development in plants. However, little is known about the <italic>bZIP</italic> gene family in Chinese chestnut (<italic>Castanea mollissima</italic> Blume). To better understand the characteristics of <italic>bZIP</italic>s in chestnut and their function in starch accumulation, a series of analyses were performed including phylogenetic, synteny, co-expression and yeast one-hybrid analyses. Totally, we identified 59 <italic>bZIP</italic> genes that were unevenly distributed in the chestnut genome and named them <italic>CmbZIP01</italic> to <italic>CmbZIP59</italic>. These <italic>CmbZIP</italic>s were clustered into 13 clades with clade-specific motifs and structures. A synteny analysis revealed that segmental duplication was the major driving force of expansion of the <italic>CmbZIP</italic> gene family. A total of 41 <italic>CmbZIP</italic> genes had syntenic relationships with four other species. The results from the co-expression analyses indicated that seven <italic>CmbZIP</italic>s in three key modules may be important in regulating starch accumulation in chestnut seeds. Yeast one-hybrid assays showed that transcription factors CmbZIP13 and CmbZIP35 might participate in starch accumulation in the chestnut seed by binding to the promoters of <italic>CmISA2</italic> and <italic>CmSBE1_2</italic>, respectively. Our study provided basic information on <italic>CmbZIP</italic> genes, which can be utilized in future functional analysis and breeding studies</p>