The heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) gene family perform a fundamental role in protecting plants against biotic and abiotic stresses. Aquilaria sinensis is a classic stress-induced medicinal plant, producing a valuable dark resin in a wood matrix, known as agarwood, in response to environmental stresses. The HSP70 gene family has been systematic identified in many plants, but there is no comprehensive analysis at the genomic level in A. sinensis. In this study, 15 putative HSP70 genes were identified in A. sinensis through genome-wide bioinformatics analysis. Based on their phylogenetic relationships, the 15 AsHSP70 were grouped into six sub-families that with the conserved motifs and gene structures, and the genes were mapped onto six separate linkage groups. A qRT-PCR analysis showed that the relative expression levels of all the AsHSP70 genes were up-regulated by heat stress. Subcellular localization of all HSP70s was predicted, and three were verified by transiently expressed in Arabidopsis protoplasts. Based on the expression profiles in different tissues and different layers treated with Agar-Wit, we predict AsHSP70 genes are involved in different stages of agarwood formation. The systematic identification and expression analysis of HSP70s gene family imply some of them may play important roles in the formation of agarwood. Our findings not only provide a foundation for further study their biological function in the later research in A. sinensis, but also provides a reference for the analysis of HSPs in other species.
Keywords: Aquilaria sinensis; agarwood; genome-wide analysis; heat shock protein 70 family.