Genome-Wide Identification Reveals the Potential Functions of the bZIP Gene Family in Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) in Response to Salt Stress During the Sprouting Stage

Basic leucine zipper (bZIP) is a diverse transcription factor in plants that is involved in many stress responses, especially salt stress. However, the roles of bZIP genes in the common bean have not been elucidated. 84 proteins in common bean were identified here. Through phylogenetic analysis, the PvbZIPs were classified into five subfamilies, and these clusters were supported by several group-specific features, including gene structure, motifs, and cis-regulatory elements. Collinearity analysis revealed the connection between PvbZIPs and bZIPs from two other dicotyledonous species, namely Arabidopsis and Soybean (Glycine max). Expression patterns of the PvbZIPs genes indicated that they exhibit a tissue-specific manner at the sprouting stage. RNA-seq and qRT-PCR analyses indicated that PvbZIPs exhibit different expression patterns under salt stress in salt tolerance and salt-sensitive varieties. According to KEGG analysis of PvbZIPs-enriched pathways, PvbZIPs appear to target the abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathway which might result in enhanced salt tolerance. Our findings elucidate on functional characterization of PvbZIP in Phaseolus vulgaris and its role in salt stress regulation through ABA.