Objective By conducting a whole-genome identification and functional analysis of auxin response factors (ARFs) family members in Gentiana rigescens, this study investigate their potential roles in the thermosensitive corolla opening-closing movement of its corolla. Methods Based on whole-genome data and transcriptome data, bioinformatics methods were used to analyze the physicochemical properties, conserved motifs, gene structure, cis-acting elements, and evolutionary relationships of the G. rigescens ARFs (GrARFs) gene family. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) technology was employed to detect the expression patterns of GrARFs genes under different opening and closing states. Additionally, subcellular localization experiments were conducted to verify the protein localization of GrARF9, so as to preliminarily analyze the biological functions of the GrARFs gene family. Results A total of 21 GrARFs were identified in the G. rigescens genome, encoding 612—1 065 amino acids. Their relative molecular weights ranged from 68 082.29 to 118 117.97, and their isoelectric points spanned 5.52—8.43. The secondary structure was dominated by random coils. Phylogenetic tree analysis classified the ARFs in G. rigescens into four subgroups, namely Group A, Group B, Group C, and Group D. Most GrARFs contained Auxin-resp and B3 DNA-binding domains. The promoter cis-acting elements of GrARFs were rich in hormone-responsive and light-responsive elements. The 21 GrARFs were unevenly distributed across eight chromosomes. Collinearity analysis revealed that the GrARFs in G. rigescens were relatively conserved among dicotyledonous plants and shared a considerable number of collinear pairs with the functionally characterized ARFs from Rosa hybrida. All 21 GrARFs genes exhibited differential expression during the thermosensitive process of G. rigescens corollas. Results of subcellular localization experiments showed that the GrARF9 protein was localized in the nucleus, displaying the nuclear localization characteristic of transcription factors. Conclusion The results of this study preliminarily clarify the expression pattern of GrARFs in the thermosensitive movement of G. rigescens, and lay a foundation for further research on the function of GrARFs in the corolla movement of G. rigescens.

Gentiana rigescens Franch.  /  thermosensitive movement  /  auxin response factors (ARFs)  /  bioinformatics analysis  /  gene expression analysis