Biotechnology Bulletin

   

Genome-wide Identification of the IbBADH Gene Family and Screening of Upstream Transcriptional Regulators of IbBADH1a in Sweetpotato

ZHOU Guang-li1,2, CHEN Jin-chai1,2, LI Xin-xin1,2, WU Xiao-ping3, JIA Zheng-rong4, Yan Hao4, HE Li-heng1,2(), JIA Xiao-yun2,5()   

  1. 1.College of Agronomy, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801
    2.Shanxi Engineering Research Center for Genetics and Metabolism of Special Crops, Taigu 030801
    3.Maize Research Institute, Shanxi Agricultural University, Xinzhou 034000
    4.Sorghum Research Institute, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong 030600
    5.College of Life Science, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801
  • Received:2026-01-26 Online:2026-06-30
  • Contact: HE Li-heng, JIA Xiao-yun E-mail:sxndhlh@163.com;jiaxiaoyun@sxau.edu.cn

Abstract:

Objective The purpose of this study was to perform genome-wide identification of the betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase (IbBADH) gene family in sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.), analyze its structure, evolution, and expression characteristics, and use the IbBADH1a promoter as bait to screen for stress response regulators, laying a foundation for analyzing the IbBADH-mediated stress response network. Methods The IbBADH family members were identified based on the sweetpotato genome, and the gene structure, phylogenetic relationship, and promoter cis-elements were analyzed. The expression pattern was analyzed using transcriptome data, the IbBADH1a promoter was cloned, and the pAbAi bait vector was constructed. The sweetpotato root cDNA library was screened by yeast one-hybrid (Y1H) to obtain candidate binding proteins and perform point-to-point verification. Results Six IbBADH members were identified. The physicochemical properties showed that IbBADH protein was acidic, and the instability index was less than 40, indicating that the protein was hydrophilic, and it was predicted to be mainly located in chloroplasts. Intraspecific colinearity analysis detected 10 pairs of segmental duplication gene pairs involving the IbBADH gene. Interspecific collinearity analysis showed that the IbBADH gene showed extensive collinearity with related species of the Convolvulaceae family. Phylogenetic analysis showed that IbBADH and BADH proteins from Convolvulaceae clustered into four groups. Promoter analysis showed that the promoter regions of IbBADH family members were rich in stress and hormone response cis-acting elements. The expression pattern analysis indicates that IbBADH1a has the highest expression level among all the samples. Four stress response regulators (BTF3, TSJT1, bHLH49, ERF073) were obtained by Y1H screening, and point-to-point verification confirmed that they could specifically bind to the IbBADH1a promoter. Conclusion The IbBADH family members of sweetpotato are generally conserved at the level of domain and gene structure, and their promoters are rich in cis-acting elements related to stress and hormone response. The IbBADH1a was regulated by BTF3, TSJT1, bHLH49 and ERF073, and provide important clues for the analysis of IbBADH1a transcriptional regulatory network and stress resistance related mechanisms.

Key words: sweetpotato, betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase (BADH), cis-acting element, yeast one-hybrid, interacting proteins