Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the <i>RcYABBY</i>s reveals their potential functions in rose (<i>Rosa chinensis</i> Jacq.)

The YABBY transcription factors are evolutionarily conserved in plants . The YABBY genes have been reported in several plants to be involved in vital processes, including growth, development, and stress response. However, no information is available on the rose (<i>Rosa chinensis</i> Jacq.) YABBY gene family. In this study, six rose <i>YABBY</i> genes (<i>RcYABBY</i>s) have been identified . A phylogenetic analysis clustered the identified RcYABBYs into five different sub-families (YAB1/YAB3, YAB2, YAB5, INO, and CRC). Further, structural characterisations revealed that the RcYABBYs possessed the YABBY domains and conserved motifs. The gene ontology (GO) analysis suggested their putative roles in modulating important metabolic pathways in roses, whereas the <i>cis</i>-regulatory element study indicated that the <i>RcYABBY</i>s possess several types of phytohormone and stress-responsive elements. The expression analysis of the <i>RcYABBY</i>s under the exogenous auxin, jasmonic acid, and melatonin applications suggested that the <i>RcYABBY</i>s can be induced by hormonal treatments, while their interactions could be specific to a particular hormone. Similarly, differential expression patterns of the <i>RcYABBY</i>s under the chitosan treatment and <i>Botrytis cinerea</i> infection suggested their possible role in defence regulation in roses. Moreover, the finding of the study added new insights on the structural and functional parts of the <i>YABBY</i> gene family in rose.