Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the annexin gene family in rye (Secale cereale L.)

Rye (Secale cereale L.) is one of the major cereal crops belonging to the family Triticeae and is known to be most tolerant to diverse abiotic stresses, such as cold, heat, osmotic, and salt stress. With the advancements in sequencing and bioinformatics technologies, the sequence information for the large and repetitive rye genome has become available. Plant annexins are components of the calcium signaling network that regulate signaling in abiotic stress tolerance via Ca²⁺ transport. In this study, we identified 12 novel rye annexin gene families by investigating the recently published rye genome. The annexin gene families were classified into five groups according to phylogenetic conserved motif analyses. Cis-element analysis revealed that these genes may be regulated by light, ABA, MeJA, and MYB transcription factors. Chromosome localization of the genes revealed that the gene family was conserved in many species, and high synteny was observed between the rye and wheat annexin genes. Plant tissue-specific gene expression revealed that rye annexin genes are mostly expressed in the roots, and gene expression analysis under cold, heat, PEG, and NaCl treatments showed that the genes were differentially expressed in response to different types of stresses, suggesting that each gene has a distinct role in stress signaling. The findings of this study provide a basis for further research on the role of rye annexin genes in abiotic stress signaling.