Genome-wide identification and characterization of nuclear factor-Y family in tea plants, and their expression profiles and putative targets provide the basis for further elucidation of their biological functions. The nuclear factor-Y (NF-Y) transcription factors (TFs) are crucial regulators of plant growth and physiology. However, the NF-Y TFs in tea plant (Camellia sinensis) have not yet been elucidated, and its biological functions, especially the putative target genes within the genome range, are still unclear. In this study, we identified 35 CsNF-Y encoding genes in the tea plant genome, including 10 CsNF-YAs, 15 CsNF-YBs and 10 CsNF-YCs. Their conserved domains and motifs, phylogeny, duplication event, gene structure, and promoter were subsequently analyzed. Tissue expression analysis revealed that CsNF-Ys exhibited three distinct expression patterns in eight tea tree tissues, among which CsNF-YAs were moderately expressed. Drought and abscisic acid (ABA) treatment indicated that CsNF-YAs may have a greater impact than other subunit members. Furthermore, through the genome-wide investigation of the presence of the CCAAT box, we found that CsNF-Ys may participate in the development of tea plants by regulating target genes of multiple physiological pathways, including photosynthesis, chlorophyll metabolism, fatty acid biosynthesis, and amino acid metabolism pathways. Our findings will contribute to the functional analysis of NF-Y genes in woody plants and the cultivation of high-quality tea plant cultivars.
Keywords: Camellia sinensis; Drought stress; NF-Y transcription factor; Target genes.