Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of WRKY Gene Family in Camelina Sativa

Background: WRKY gene family is one of the largest transcription factor families and WRKY proteins (WRKYs) have the complex biological functions to regulate plant metabolic processes. Although the WRKY genes were identified in many species and the functions were verified, there were no reports of Camelina sativa WRKY genes.Results: In this investigation, a total of 202 CsWRKY genes were identified and encoded 242 CsWRKYs. The CsWRKYs were further classified into three major groups according to their structure and phylogeny. The comprehensive analysis showed the characteristic sequences of CsWRKYs were conserved in the evolutionary process. In addition, the 137 segmental duplication events were the major force to expand the CsWRKY members in evolution. Compared with other reported plant species, CsWRKYs family as the largest WRKY gene family had maximum members. Furthermore, expression profiling indicated that different CsWRKY members exhibited differently in shoots and roots, and some CsWRKY genes were also up-regulated to varying degrees under salt stress in shoots.Conclusions: In this research, a detailed overview of CsWRKY family genes and expression patterns offered precious information for understanding the potential evolutionary process and the biological functions of CsWRKY genes, which was useful for the further characteristic research of CsWRKY genes and the development of high-quality Camelina sativa varieties.