Abstract:

To systematically identify the GH3 gene family members in soybean (Glycine max) and reveal their evolutionary characteristics and potential functions, this study utilized the genome of ‘Zhonghuang 13’ as the experimental material. Bioinformatics methods were employed to identify members of the GH3 family, and their physicochemical properties, chromosomal localization, collinearity relationships, phylogenetic evolution, gene structure, conserved motifs, secondary structure, promoter elements, and expression patterns were systematically analyzed. A total of 35 GH3 members were identified, distributed across 16 chromosomes, most of the encoded proteins were acidic and hydrophilic proteins. Collinearity analysis within the soybean genome and among different soybean varieties revealed a high degree of conservation in the evolution of this family. Phylogenetic analysis classified the proteins into three subfamilies, with members of the same subfamily showing high similarity in gene structure and conserved motifs, suggesting that they may play a synergistic role. The secondary structure was predominantly composed of alpha helices (40.77%) and random coils (40.81%), with extended strands and beta sheets accounting for 14.16% and 4.25%, respectively. Promoter regions contained elements related to stress responses and growth and development. Expression analysis showed that SoyZH13_02G116300 and SoyZH13_03G235000 were expressed at multiple developmental stages. This study provides a theoretical foundation for elucidating the roles of GH3 genes in soybean growth and development and offers new insights into the synergistic effects of multiple hormones on soybean growth and development.

Key words: soybean, GH3 gene family, genome-wide identification, auxin, expression pattern, gene structure, physicochemical properties, abiotis stress