Identification of TCP transcription factors in Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam. genome and expression analysis under stress

The unique TCP transcription factor family participates in various physiological and biochemical processes in plants. Based on the whole-genome sequence of Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam., we used bioinformatics to screen and identify TCP transcription factors and analyze differential expression of TCP genes in seedlings under Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. batatas stress and in tubers under low temperature stress during storage. Results showed that there were 27 TCP transcription factors in the I. batatas genome, including 13 in Class Ⅰ, eight in Class Ⅱ(CIN), and six in Class Ⅱ(CYC/TB1). The I. batatas TCP genes were unevenly distributed in the 15 chromosomes and formed six pairs of genes with potential duplication relationships. The Class Ⅱ(CYC/TB1) I. batatas transcription factors contained an R domain with conserved amino acid sequences. There were 10 conserved motifs within the I. batatas TCP transcription factors, the amino acid lengths of which ranged from 15 to 60. Motif-1 contained a TCP domain and motif-3 contained an R domain. The types of conserved motifs for different groups varied to some extent. Analysis of transcriptomics data of I. batatas identified two differentially expressed genes under F. oxysporum f. sp. batatas infection during the seedling stage and 11 differentially expressed genes under low temperature stress during tuber storage. This study lays a foundation for the functional study of TCP genes and provides a reference for resistance breeding of I. batatas.