Genome-wide analysis and expression profiling of YUCCA gene family associated with plant vigor in Japanese apricot (prunus mume Sieb. Et zucc)

Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is an important plant hormone required for various plant growth and developmental activities. YUCCA proteins are the enzymes for IAA synthesis that catalyze the rate-limiting step. However, the YUCCA gene family in Japanese apricot has not been thoroughly characterized. Here, we investigated the effect of rootstocks on scion growth of Japanease apricot and genes involved in auxin biosynthesis (YUCCA). Growth characteristics revealed that the height of ‘Longyan’ [Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc] plants with P. mume rootstock were significantly shorter than ‘Longyan’ plants with P. persica rootstock. This study isolated 13 PmYUCCA genes from the Japanese apricot genome. Bioinformatics and expression studies were undertaken to investigate the functions and characteristics of YUCCA genes. The physicochemical properties, gene structure, conserved domains, conserved motif, and phylogenetic relationships of YUCCA genes were determined using bioinformatics analysis. Likewise, we analyzed the expression of PmYUCCA genes in Japanese apricot’s leaf and stem-bark (scion). The expression levels of PmYUCCA3 and PmYUCCA5 genes were noticeably lower in the leaves of ‘Longyan’/P. mume graft combination than that of the ‘Longyan’/P. persica graft combinations, suggesting their distinct roles in regulating growth vigor. This research explores the genome-wide identification, characterization, and possible relationship between growth vigor and expression profile analysis of the YUCCA gene family in Japanese apricot.