SQUAMOSA promoter binding protein-like () genes are a type of plant-specific transcription factors that play crucial roles in the regulation of phase transition, floral transformation, fruit development, and various stresses. Although have been characterized in several model species, no systematic analysis has been studied in pecans, an important woody oil tree species. In this study, a total of 32 genes () were identified in the pecan genome. After conducting phylogenetic analysis of the conserved SBP proteins from , rice, and poplar, the were separated into eight subgroups. The genes within the same subgroup contained very similar exon-intron structures and conserved motifs. Nine segmentally duplicated ge... More
SQUAMOSA promoter binding protein-like () genes are a type of plant-specific transcription factors that play crucial roles in the regulation of phase transition, floral transformation, fruit development, and various stresses. Although have been characterized in several model species, no systematic analysis has been studied in pecans, an important woody oil tree species. In this study, a total of 32 genes () were identified in the pecan genome. After conducting phylogenetic analysis of the conserved SBP proteins from , rice, and poplar, the were separated into eight subgroups. The genes within the same subgroup contained very similar exon-intron structures and conserved motifs. Nine segmentally duplicated gene pairs in the pecan genome and 16 collinear gene pairs between the and genes were identified. Cis-element analysis showed that genes may regulate plant meristem differentiation and seed development, participate in various biological processes, and respond to plant hormones and environmental stresses. Therefore, we focused our study on the expression profiles of genes during flower and fruit development. Most of the genes were predominantly expressed in buds and/or female flowers. Additionally, quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR) analyses confirmed that genes showed distinct spatiotemporal expression patterns in response to drought and salt treatments. The study provides foundation for the further exploration of the function and evolution of genes in pecan.