Open Access

ARTICLE

Genome-Wide Analysis of the Cinnamoyl-CoA Reductase (CCR) Gene Family in Rosa chinensis and Rosa × hybrida and Drought Stress Response of Four RhCCR Genes

Cuifang Chang, Hua Fang, Xinfang Chen, Zhongfeng Yao, Yali Zhu, Caicai Ma, Qi Wang, Weibiao Liao^*

College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China

* Corresponding Author: Weibiao Liao. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Plant Responses to Abiotic Stress)

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2026, 95(4), 10 https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2026.077290

Received 06 December 2025; Accepted 12 March 2026; Issue published 28 April 2026

Abstract

The cinnamoyl-CoA reductase (CCR) gene family plays a pivotal role in lignin biosynthesis and plant stress adaptation by catalyzing the first committed step in the monolignol-specific branch of the phenylpropanoid pathway. However, a comprehensive and systematic analysis of CCRs in the economically important Rosa genus remains lacking. Here, we conducted a systematic genome-wide investigation of CCR genes in a diploid species, Rosa chinensis, and a tetraploid cultivar, Rosa × hybrida. We identified 15 and 36 non-redundant CCR genes in R. chinensis and R. × hybrida, respectively. From these, we selected 14 high-confidence orthologs of RcCCR in the R. × hybrida genome as a core set for in-depth evolutionary and functional analysis. Our genomic analysis revealed that the expansion of the RhCCR family is likely primarily driven by whole-genome and tandem duplication events, with the duplicated gene pairs undergoing strong purifying selection. Promoter analysis of these 14 RhCCR genes further revealed a significant enrichment of stress- and hormone-related cis-acting elements. Expression profiling via qRT-PCR uncovered distinct tissue-specific expression patterns among these core genes. Notably, four genes—RhCCR3, RhCCR8, RhCCR24, and RhCCR29—were significantly upregulated under drought stress (simulated by PEG), methyl jasmonate (MeJA), and abscisic acid (ABA) treatments. Crucially, the induction of these genes by both PEG and MeJA was substantially suppressed by the ABA biosynthesis inhibitor fluridone (FLU). This finding suggests that ABA signaling may play a key role in the drought-responsive regulation of these RhCCRs. Furthermore, it raises the possibility that crosstalk between ABA and jasmonate pathways could be involved in modulating stress-responsive lignification, though this remains a hypothetical point. Our findings provide a genomic and functional framework for the CCR family in rose, providing valuable genetic resources and candidate targets for breeding programs aimed at optimizing lignin content and enhanced stress resilience.

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