Genome-Wide Identification of the GRAS Transcription Factor Family in <i>Medicago ruthenica</i> and Expression Analysis Under Drought Stress
2025
Xingli Wang | Xueming Dong | Pengzhen Li | Mingyu Li | Zhaoming Wang | Qiang Zhou | Zhipeng Liu | Longfeng Yan
The <i>GRAS</i> gene family encodes a group of plant-specific transcription factors essential for regulating plant growth, development and stress responses. While the <i>GRAS</i> gene family has been extensively studied in various plant species, a comprehensive characterization of the <i>GRAS</i> gene family in <i>Medicago ruthenica</i> has not yet been conducted. In this study, a total of 62 <i>MrGRAS</i> gene family members were identified through a comprehensive whole-genome analysis of <i>M. ruthenica</i>, and phylogenetic analysis categorized these 62 genes into 13 distinct groups. Gene structure and conserved domain analysis showed that <i>MrGRAS</i> genes from the same evolutionary branch share similar exon–intron architecture and conserved motifs. A large number of hormone-responsive, growth and development and stress-responsive <i>cis</i>-regulatory elements were detected in the upstream sequences of <i>MrGRAS</i> genes. RT-qPCR analysis showed that drought stress significantly induced the expression of nine selected <i>MrGRAS</i> genes. Overall, this study analyzed the phylogenetic relationships, conserved domains, <i>cis</i>-regulatory elements and expression patterns of the <i>GRAS</i> gene family in <i>M. ruthenica</i>, filling the gap in the identification of the <i>MrGRAS</i> gene family and laying the foundation for functional analysis of the <i>MrGRAS</i> gene family.
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