The Association between <i>BZIP</i> Transcription Factors and Flower Development in <i>Litsea cubeba</i>

oleh: Siqi Wang, Yunxiao Zhao, Yicun Chen, Ming Gao, Yangdong Wang

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2023-11-01

Deskripsi

The basic leucine zipper (bZIP) family is one of the largest families of transcription factors among eukaryotic organisms. Members of the <i>bZIP</i> family play various roles in regulating the intricate process of flower development in plants. <i>Litsea cubeba</i> (Lour.) (family: Lauraceae) is an aromatic, dioecious plant used in China for a wide range of applications. However, no study to date has undertaken a comprehensive analysis of the <i>bZIP</i> gene family in <i>L. cubeba</i>. In this work, we identified 68 members of the <i>bZIP</i> gene family in <i>L. cubeba</i> and classified them into 12 subfamilies based on previous studies on <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i>. Transcriptome data analysis revealed that multiple <i>LcbZIP</i> genes exhibit significantly high expression levels in the flowers of <i>L. cubeba</i>, while some also demonstrate distinct temporal specificity during <i>L. cubeba</i> flower development. In particular, some <i>LcbZIP</i> genes displayed specific and high expression levels during the stamen and pistil degradation process. Using differential gene expression analysis, weighted gene co-expression network analysis, and Gene Ontology enrichment analysis, we identified six candidate <i>LcbZIP</i> genes that potentially regulate stamen or pistil degradation during flower development. In summary, our findings provide a framework for future functional analysis of the <i>LcbZIP</i> gene family in <i>L. cubeba</i> and offer novel insights for investigating the mechanism underlying pistil and stamen degeneration in this plant.