Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the NF-Y family of transcription factors in tea plant

Abstract Background Nuclear factor-Y(NF-Y) is a heterotrimeric transcription factor commonly found in higher eukaryotes. It usually consists of three subunits: NF-YA, NF-YB and NF-YC, which binds to CCAAT sequences to regulate the expression of target genes. Although NF-Y proteins have been reported in many plants like Arabidopsis and wheat, a comprehensive and systematic analysis of NF-Y genes in tea plant has not yet been reported. Results In this study, a total of 35 CsNF-Y genes, including 10 CsNF-YA, 16 CsNF-YB, and 9 CsNF-YC genes, were identified in the sequenced genomes of tea plant. The conserved domains analysis and multiple alignments suggested that domains were conserved within subgroups but differed between subgroups in the CsNF-Y family. Functional prediction and protein interaction analysis were performed by phylogenetic analyses with orthologous genes. Further, expression pattern analysis in various tissues of tea plant by transcriptome data indicated that these genes play different roles in tea plant development and many exhibit tissue-specific expression patterns. Conclusions In this study, we characterized 35 CsNF-Ys based on their distributions on tea plant genome, gene structures, phylogenetic relationship with Orthologous NF-Y genes, and their expression patterns. This study provides extensive evaluation of the tea plant NF-Y family and may contribute to the future studies about the CsNF-Y gene family.