Cloning and expression patterns of VQ-motif-containing proteins under abiotic stress in tea plant

VQ-motif-containing (VQ) proteins, featuring a conserved FxxxVQxxTG sequence, are a class of plant proteins that respond to diverse developmental processes. However, the VQ proteins in tea plant remain largely unknown. Here, we have cloned 15 VQ genes from Camellia sinensis that were identified from transcriptome data of the different tissues in tea cultivar Longjing 43', and five VQ proteins shared high identity with VQ proteins that in the genome of tea cultivar Yunkang 10'. These identified VQ proteins were divided into seven groups based on their phylogenetic relationship, which also showed tissue-specific expression patterns. When exposed to different abiotic stresses, the majority of these CsVQ genes were remarkably up-regulated. Variations in expression patterns were also found in leaves and roots. We speculate that CsVQ proteins are important regulators during the growth and development of tea plant. Furthermore, our findings provide a fundamental understanding of VQ proteins in tea plant and helpful information for breeding stress-resistant tea cultivars.