Identification and expression analysis of the small auxin-up RNA (SAUR) gene family in apple by inducing of auxin.

The small auxin-up RNA (SAUR) family plays a vital role in the regulation of plant growth and development. We identified 80 MdSAUR genes in this study. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the SAUR proteins from Arabidopsis, rice, and apple were divided into six groups. Of the 80 MdSAURs, 71 were randomly distributed along the 17 chromosomes, while the remaining genes were located along unassigned scafoolds. Among them, a comprehensive overview of SAUR gene family is presented, including gene structures, chromosome locations, duplication and selection pressure analyses, synteny and promoter analyses, and protein interaction. The expression profiles based on microarray data found that 80 genes showed increased expression levels in at least one tissue including seed, seedling, root, stem, leaf, flower, fruit 100daa, and harvested fruit. MdSAUR7 possibly regulate the development of flower organs, and MdSAUR15, MdSAUR24, and MdSAUR80 promote the growth of fruits by regulating cell division. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis indicated the expression levels of 79 MdSAUR genes in leaves under exogenous IAA treatment. MdSAUR4, MdSAUR22, MdSAUR37, MdSAUR38, MdSAUR49, and MdSAUR54 were up-regulated after IAA treatment compared with the control, indicating that they may play specific roles in the IAA signaling transduction pathway. This work provided a foundation for further investigations for the functional analyses of SAURs in apple.