OVATE family proteins (OFPs) are plant-specific transcription factors with a conserved OVATE domain. Although OFPs have been reported to regulate many aspects of plant growth and development, little is known about their evolution, structure, and function in fiber development in cotton. In this study, 174 OFPs were identified from four species of Gossypium namely, G. hirsutum, G. barbadense, G. arboreum, and G. raimondii. These OFPs were grouped into 6 sub-families by using phylogenetic analysis, and members within the same sub-family had similar conserved motifs. Chromosomal localization revealed that OFPs are distributed in cotton genome unevenly. Gene structure analysis showed that most of OFPs were intronless. Moreover, Ka/Ks analysis exhibited that OFPs were gone through purifying selection processes during evolution. Multiple cis-acting elements were observed in promoter region of OFPs, which are responsive to light, phytohormone, biotic stresses, growth and developmental related cis-acting elements. In addition, OFPs play important role in fiber and ovule development. In conclusion, this study provides a systematic analysis of cotton OFPs and provides the foundation for further studies on biological functioning of cotton OFPs.
Keywords: Expression pattern; Genome-wide analysis; Gossypium spp.; OFP genes.
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