Identification of AREB/ABF Gene Family Involved in the Response of ABA under Salt and Drought Stresses in Jute ( Corchorus olitorius L.).

The abscisic acid (ABA)-responsive element binding protein/ABRE-binding factor (AREB/ABF) subfamily members are essential to ABA signaling pathways and plant adaptation to various environmental stresses. Nevertheless, there are no reports on in jute ( L.). Here, eight genes were identified in the genome and classified into four groups (A-D) based on their phylogenetic relationships. A -elements analysis showed that were widely involved in hormone response elements, followed by light and stress responses. Furthermore, the ABRE response element was involved in four , playing an essential role in the ABA reaction. A genetic evolutionary analysis indicated that clear purification selection affects jute and demonstrated that the divergence time was more ancient in cotton than in cacao. A quantitative real-time PCR revealed that the expression levels of were upregulated and downregulated under ABA treatment, indicating that and are positively correlated with ABA concentration. Moreover, and were significantly upregulated in response to salt and drought stress, especially with the application of exogenous ABA, which showed higher intensities. These findings provide a complete analysis of the jute gene family, which could be valuable for creating novel jute germplasms with a high resistance to abiotic stresses.