Identification and Characterization of the Pvul-Gasa Gene Family in the Phaseolus Vulgaris and Expression Patterns Under Salt Stress

Abstract

GASA (Gibberellic acid stimulated in Arabidopsis) is an important gene family that has important roles in both the developmental and physiological processes. In this study, 23 GASA genes in common bean were identified and detailed bioinformatics analyzes were conducted at both gene and protein levels. Pvul-GASA proteins were categorized into three clusters, and a total of 13 duplication events (12 segmental and one tandem) were shown to play a role in the expansion of the GASA gene family in Phaseolus vulgaris L. The identified Pvul-GASAs have been shown to be linked to stress and hormone signaling pathways. In addition, some of the stress-related miRNAs, such as miR164 and miR396, have been identified as targeting Pvul-GASA genes, which have also been shown to play a role in salt stress response based on expression data. The alterations in the expressions of Pvul-GASA-1, Pvul-GASA-12, Pvul-GASA-16, Pvul-GASA-18 and Pvul-GASA-23 genes between control and salt-stressed common bean cultivars have indicated their possible role in the stress response. This research is the first research on the in-silico detection and characterization of Pvul-GASA genes in common bean, in which the levels of gene expression were also analyzed.