Identification and Characterization of the DOF Gene Family in Phoebe bournei and Its Role in Abiotic Stress—Drought, Heat and Light Stress

Abstract

Phoebe bournei is a second-class endangered and protected species unique to China, and it holds significant ecological and economic value. DNA binding one zinc finger (Dof) transcription factors are plant-specific regulators. Numerous studies have demonstrated that Dof genes are involved in plant growth, development and responses to abiotic stress. In this study, we identified and analyzed 34 PbDof gene members at the whole-genome level. The results indicated that the 34 PbDof genes were unevenly distributed across 12 chromosomes. We utilized the Dof genes from Arabidopsis thaliana and P. bournei to construct a phylogenetic tree and categorized these genes into eight subgroups. In the collinearity analysis, there were 16 homologous gene pairs between AtDof and PbDof and nine homologous gene pairs between ZmDof and PbDof. We conducted a cis-acting element analysis and found that cis-acting elements involved in light response were the most abundant in PbDof genes. Through SSR site prediction, we analyzed that the evolution level of Dof genes is low. Additionally, we assessed the expression profiles of eight PbDof genes under high temperature, drought, and light stress using qRT-PCR. In particular, PbDof08 and PbDof16 are significantly upregulated under the three stresses. This study provides foundational information for PbDof genes and offers new insights for further research on the mechanism of Dof transcription factors responding to stress, as well as the adaptation of P. bournei to environmental changes.