Identification of ARF Gene Family in Aquilaria sinensis (Lour.) Gilg and Expression Analysis of Aagrwood-induced

Abstract

【Objective】Auxin response factors (ARF) are key transcription factors engaged in the auxin signaling system and play significant roles in plant flower and fruit development, organ morphogenesis, hormone control, and stress responses. The study aims to investigate the biological functions of AsARF gene in Aquilaria sinensis (Lour.) Gilg during the aroma formation process.【Method】The AsARF genes in A. sinensis at genome-wide level were identified and analyzed by bioinformatics approaches. The expression patterns of ARF family members in response to mechanical damage in A. sinensis were revealed through transcriptome data analysis.【Result】Twenty-one AsARF genes were identified at the genome-wide level, and the systematic bioinformatics analysis results showed that these 21 AsARF genes were divided into five groups, with gene sequences within the same group sharing similar gene structures and conserved protein domains, while different groups of AsARF genes exhibited significant variations in the number of exons and introns. Furthermore, cis-acting element analysis revealed that the promoter regions of ARF genes in A. sinensis contained numerous sequences associated with sunlight, anaerobic conditions, gibberellin and other response elements. Gene duplication and collinearity analysis indicated that fragment duplication events played a crucial role in the evolution and expansion of the A. sinensis ARF gene family. Comparing with rice ARF genes, it revealed there was a closer relationship between A. sinensis and Arabidopsis thaliana ARF genes. Additionally, transcriptome data analysis demonstrated a significant decrease in expression levels of AsARF5, AsARF6, AsARF19, AsARF20, and AsARF21 genes in response to mechanical damage in A. sinensis.【Conclusion】The study conducted the first genome-wide identification of the AsARF gene family and offered a comprehensive analysis on their physicochemical properties, systematic evolution, gene structure, conserved protein domains, promoter cis-acting elements, gene duplication, and collinearity. Furthermore, the potential mechanisms of AsARF genes in the aroma formation process of A. sinensis were explored through RNA-seq analysis. The results suggested that some AsARF genes may be involved in the defense and dynamic balance of aroma formation in A. sinensis. These findings provided important theoretical basis for a deeper understanding of the aroma formation mechanism in A. sinensis.

Keywords

• auxin response factor
• aquilaria sinensis
• asarf
• gene family
• rna-seq analysis
• aroma formation mechanism