Genome-wide characterization of ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme gene family explores its genetic effects on the oil content and yield of Brassica napus

Shengli Yao; Meili Xie; Ming Hu; XiaoBo Cui; Haoming Wu; Xiaohua Li; Peng Hu; Chaobo Tong; Xiaoli Yu

doi:10.3389/fpls.2023.1118339

Genome-wide characterization of ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme gene family explores its genetic effects on the oil content and yield of Brassica napus

Front Plant Sci. 2023 Mar 20:14:1118339. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1118339. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Shengli Yao¹, Meili Xie², Ming Hu², XiaoBo Cui², Haoming Wu¹, Xiaohua Li¹, Peng Hu¹, Chaobo Tong², Xiaoli Yu¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Life Science and Technology, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
² The Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the PRC, Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, China.

Abstract

Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (UBC) is a critical part of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway and plays crucial roles in growth, development and abiotic stress response in plants. Although UBC genes have been detected in several plant species, characterization of this gene family at the whole-genome level has not been conducted in Brassica napus. In the present study, 200 putative BnUBCs were identified in B. napus, which were clustered into 18 subgroups based on phylogenetic analysis. BnUBCs within each subgroup showed relatively conserved gene architectures and motifs. Moreover, the gene expression patterns in various tissues as well as the identification of cis-acting regulatory elements in BnUBC promoters suggested further investigation of their potential functions in plant growth and development. Furthermore, three BnUBCs were predicted as candidate genes for regulating agronomic traits related to oil content and yield through association mapping. In conclusion, this study provided a wealth of information on the UBC family in B. napus and revealed their effects on oil content and yield, which will aid future functional research and genetic breeding of B. napus.

Keywords: Brassica napus; association mapping analysis; evolution; oil content and yield; the UBC family.

Grants and funding

The project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (nos 32201220, 31770250) and the Young Top-notch Talent Cultivation Program of Hubei Province for CB.