Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of the DUF506 Gene Family in Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) under Abiotic Stresses
Esra Alther1,2, Hind Abdelmonim Elsanosi1,2, Ghazi Badawi2, Guisheng Zhou1,*
1 The Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, Ministry of Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
2 Faculty of Agriculture, University of Khartoum, Shambat, Khartoum North, Sudan
* Corresponding Author: Guisheng Zhou. Email:
Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2026.087409
Received 16 June 2026; Accepted 25 August 2026; Published online 31 August 2026
Abstract
The domain of unknown function 506 (DUF506) family belongs to the PD-(D/E) XK nuclease superfamily and is related to the regulation of plant growth and development and responses to abiotic stress. To date, no comprehensive analysis of the
DUF506 gene family has been conducted in
Sorghum bicolor. This study revealed nine
SbDUF506 genes, which have been distributed unevenly across five chromosomes. Gene structure analysis indicated that
SbDUF506 genes composed of one to three exons and introns. Cis-regulatory element analysis indicated that most
SbDUF506 genes are associated with responses to abiotic stress. Collectively, the results suggest that gene duplication events markedly enhanced the evolutionary proliferation of the
SbDUF506 gene family. Ka/Ks analysis indicated that these genes have predominantly evolved under purifying selection. Furthermore, the expression analysis profiles of the
SbDUF506 genes across various tissues and under stress conditions were evaluated via RT-qPCR following heat, salinity, and cold treatments. The results indicated that most
SbDUF506 genes are responsive to cold stress, as well as to heat and salinity. These findings advance the theoretical understanding of the evolutionary organization and stress-responsive regulation of the
DUF506 gene family in sorghum and provide candidate genes for further functional validation and the molecular breeding of Sorghum cultivars with improved tolerance to abiotic stresses.
Keywords
Sorghum bicolor; DUF506; gene expression; bioinformatics analysis; abiotic stress