Research on the flowering habit of rapeseed is important for the selection of varieties adapted to specific ecological environments. Here, quantitative trait loci (QTL) for the days-to-flowering trait were identified using a doubled haploid population of 178 lines derived from a cross between the winter type SGDH284 and the semi-winter type 158A. A linkage map encompassing 3268.01 cM was constructed using 2777 bin markers obtained from next-generation sequencing. The preliminary mapping results revealed 56 QTLs for the days to flowering in the six replicates in the three environments. Twelve consensus QTLs were identified by a QTL meta-analysis, two of which (cqDTF-C02 and cqDTF-C06) were designated as major QTLs. Based on the micro-collinearity of the target regions between B. napus and Arabidopsis, four genes possibly related to flowering time were identified in the cqDTF-C02 interval, and only one gene possibly related to flowering time was identified in the cqDTF-C06 interval. A tightly linked insertion–deletion marker for the cqFT-C02 locus was developed. These findings will aid the breeding of early maturing B. napus varieties.

The FKBP (FK506-binding protein) gene family is an important member of the PPlase protease family and plays a vital role during the processes of plant growth and development. However, no studies of the FKBP gene family have been reported in cucumber. In this study, 19 FKBP genes were identified in cucumber, which were located on chromosomes 1, 3, 4, 6, and 7. Phylogenetic analysis divided the cucumber FKBP genes into three subgroups. The FKBP genes in the same subgroup exhibited similar structures and conserved motifs. The cis-acting elements analysis revealed that the promoters of cucumber FKBP genes contained hormone-, stress-, and development-related cis-acting elements. Synteny analysis of the FKBP genes among cucumber, Arabidopsis, and rice showed that 12 kinds of syntenic relationships were detected between cucumber and Arabidopsis FKBP genes, and 3 kinds of syntenic relationships were observed between cucumber and rice FKBP genes. The tissue-specific expression analysis showed that some FKBP genes were expressed in all tissues, while others were only highly expressed in part of the 10 types of tissues. The expression profile analysis of cucumber FKBP genes under 13 types of stresses showed that the CsaV3_1G007080 gene was differentially expressed under abiotic stresses (high temperature, NaCl, silicon, and photoperiod) and biotic stresses (downy mildew, green mottle mosaic virus, Fusarium wilt, phytophthora capsica, angular leaf spot, and root-knot nematode), which indicated that the CsaV3_1G007080 gene plays an important role in the growth and development of cucumber. The interaction protein analysis showed that most of the proteins in the FKBP gene family interacted with each other. The results of this study will lay the foundation for further research on the molecular biological functions of the cucumber FKBP gene family.

Hexokinase (HXK) plays a key role in plant sugar metabolism and signal transduction, and is involved in regulating plant growth, development, and stress re

GATA transcription factors are ubiquitous in plants, where they regulate target gene expression to modulate plant growth, development, and responses to env

Background: INDETERMINATE DOMAIN proteins (IDDs) are a plant-specific transcription factor family, and members of this family play crucial roles in regulating growth and development as well as environmental adaptation. However, a comprehensive analysis of the IDD family in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] is limited. Methods and Results: A total of 27 GmIDD genes were identified in the soybean genome, unevenly distributed across 14 chromosomes, and their encoded proteins all harbor a conserved INDETERMINATE (ID) domain with two Cys2His2 (C2H2) and two Cys2HisCys (C2HC) zinc finger motifs. Phylogenetic analysis classified these GmIDD genes into three subgroups. Soybean GmIDD genes exhibit high homology with their Arabidopsis thaliana IDD counterparts. Cis-acting element analysis indicated that the promoters of GmIDD genes are enriched in light-responsive elements (such as Box4), hormone-responsive elements (such as ABRE and AuxRR-core), and abiotic stress-responsive elements (such as MBS and LTR). The qRT-PCR results showed that GmIDD3/5/14/22/26 were upregulated under salt stress, while GmIDD8/9/10/12/16/17/19/20/23/24/25/27 were obviously downregulated during treatment. Under drought stress, the expression levels of GmIDD4/6/7/10/14/16/19/22/24/25/26/27 were upregulated during the treatment. The expression levels of GmIDD1/2/3/4/12/14/15/16/17/18/22/23/25/26 were induced by short-day conditions, whereas GmIDD9/13/19/21 were induced by long-day conditions in soybean leaves. Conclusions: This study provides a theoretical basis for further understanding the functions of the soybean IDD gene family in abiotic stress tolerance and photoperiod adaptability.

Dirigent proteins (DIR) are involved in lignan biosynthesis, stress responses, and disease resistance in plants. However, systematic characterization of the DIR gene family in watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) remains limited. Here, we identified 22 ClDIR genes in watermelon using bioinformatics methods, designated ClDIR1 to ClDIR22, which were unevenly distributed across eight chromosomes and classified into three subfamilies (DIR-a, DIR-b/d, DIR-e) based on phylogenetic analysis, with DIR-b/d being the largest. Synteny analysis revealed that tandem duplication primarily drove ClDIR family expansion, and collinear relationships with Arabidopsis, rice, and cucurbit species indicated evolutionary conservation. Cis-acting element analysis showed abundant stress- and hormone-responsive elements in ClDIR promoters, suggesting roles in stress regulation. Tissue-specific expression analysis demonstrated distinct patterns, with most genes highly expressed in roots. Expression profiling under 16 abiotic and biotic stresses showed 18 ClDIR genes responded to stress, with ClDIR8 differentially expressed across all conditions. qRT-PCR validation of six key genes (ClDIR5, ClDIR8, ClDIR9, ClDIR12, ClDIR16, ClDIR22) confirmed their expression patterns under high-temperature, drought, salt, and low-temperature stresses, showing a high degree of consistency with transcriptome data. Subcellular localization indicated ClDIR8 is peroxisome-localized. Yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assays validated two ClDIR8-interacting proteins, Cla97C02G049920 (encoding peroxidase) and Cla97C08G152180 (encoding catalase). These findings provide insights into ClDIR genes in watermelon, highlighting ClDIR8 as a key stress-responsive candidate for further functional studies and breeding.