ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Bioinformatics
Insights into Developmental Regulation and Environmental Adaptation of the SAUR Gene Family in Tartary Buckwheat
Provisionally accepted
- Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Background Auxin plays a fundamental role in plant growth and stress adaptation, the Small Auxin Upregulated RNA (SAUR) gene family is an important early auxin-responsive gene family. Despite their established roles in model species, the SAUR family remains poorly characterized in tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum). Results In this study, we identified 95 FtSAUR genes through a genome-wide analysis. Phylogenetic and structural analyses revealed evolutionary conservation and potential functional diversification. Chromosomal mapping highlighted gene clusters and tandem duplication hotspots, particularly on chromosomes 1, 3, and 7. Expression profiling demonstrated that key genes, including FtSAUR07, FtSAUR36, and FtSAUR58, exhibit pronounced root-preferential expression, while FtSAUR35 and FtSAUR50 are leaf-specific. Auxin treatment triggered rapid and sustained induction of select FtSAURs, implicating their involvement in cell expansion and meristem activity. Furthermore, multiple FtSAURs, including FtSAUR18, FtSAUR19, and FtSAUR72, were strongly activated under drought and salt stresses, supporting a role in abiotic stress adaptation. Co-expression network analysis placed FtSAURs at the core of regulatory modules associated with cell wall remodeling, ROS homeostasis, flavonoid biosynthesis, and systemic acquired resistance. Conclusions This study provides a comprehensive characterization of the FtSAUR family and reveals its integrative role in auxin signaling and stress response. Our findings establish a foundation for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying stress tolerance in tartary buckwheat and propose candidate genes for future molecular breeding strategies.
Keywords: abiotic stress, auxin, Fagopyrum tataricum, Gene Expression Regulation, Small Auxin Upregulated RNA (SAUR) gene family
Received: 01 Sep 2025; Accepted: 10 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Dong, Yuan, Qi, Qi, Li, Chen and Du. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Dengxiang Du
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.