Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of JAZ Family Involved in Hormone and Abiotic Stress in Sweet Potato and Its Two Diploid Relatives.

Jasmonate ZIM-domain (JAZ) proteins are key repressors of a jasmonic acid signaling pathway. They play essential roles in the regulation of plant growth and development, as well as environmental stress responses. However, this gene family has not been explored in sweet potato. In this study, we identified 14, 15, and 14 JAZs in cultivated hexaploid sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas, 2n = 6x = 90), and its two diploid relatives Ipomoea trifida (2n = 2x = 30) and Ipomoea triloba (2n = 2x = 30), respectively. These JAZs were divided into five subgroups according to their phylogenetic relationships with Arabidopsis. The protein physiological properties, chromosome localization, phylogenetic relationship, gene structure, promoter cis-elements, protein interaction network, and expression pattern of these 43 JAZs were systematically investigated. The results suggested that there was a differentiation between homologous JAZs, and each JAZ gene played different vital roles in growth and development, hormone crosstalk, and abiotic stress response between sweet potato and its two diploid relatives. Our work provided comprehensive comparison and understanding of the JAZ genes in sweet potato and its two diploid relatives, supplied a theoretical foundation for their functional study, and further facilitated the molecular breeding of sweet potato.

茉莉酸ZIM结构域（JAZ）蛋白是茉莉酸信号通路的关键抑制因子。它们在植物生长发育的调控以及环境胁迫响应中发挥着重要作用。然而，该基因家族在甘薯中尚未被研究。在本研究中，我们分别在栽培的六倍体甘薯（Ipomoea batatas，2n = 6x = 90）及其两个二倍体近缘种三裂叶薯（Ipomoea trifida，2n = 2x = 30）和三浅裂野牵牛（Ipomoea triloba，2n = 2x = 30）中鉴定出14个、15个和14个JAZ基因。根据它们与拟南芥的系统发育关系，这些JAZ基因被分为5个亚组。对这43个JAZ基因的蛋白质生理特性、染色体定位、系统发育关系、基因结构、启动子顺式作用元件、蛋白质相互作用网络以及表达模式进行了系统研究。结果表明，同源JAZ基因之间存在分化，并且每个JAZ基因在甘薯及其两个二倍体近缘种的生长发育、激素互作以及非生物胁迫响应中都发挥着不同的重要作用。我们的工作对甘薯及其两个二倍体近缘种的JAZ基因进行了全面的比较和了解，为它们的功能研究提供了理论基础，并进一步促进了甘薯的分子育种。