Identification of the Q-type ZFP gene family in Triticeaes and drought stress expression analysis in common wheat

C2H2-type zinc finger proteins (ZFPs) are crucial transcription factors in eukaryotes, playing significant roles in various biological processe. The Q-type ZFP, a plant-specific subfamily, are particularly important in responding to abiotic stresses. Wheat is a crucial staple crop in world, with drought significantly affecting its yield and quality. Developing drought-resistant varieties is one of the most cost-effective strategies to mitigate drought stress in wheat. Here, we identified 772 non-redundant members of the Q-type ZFP genes family in Triticeae. Among them, 267 genes were found in common wheat, 56 in wild emmer wheat, 157 in spelt wheat, 154 in durum wheat, 56 in Triticum urart, and 82 in Aegilops tauschii. The phylogenetic tree shows that the Q-type ZFP genes family can be divided into five groups. The Q-type ZFPs family are mainly regulated by MYB, MYC, and WRKY transcription factors. Moreover, there are a large number of drought stress and ABA-related cis-acting elements in the promoter region. We studied their gene structures and found that most genes have a single exon. In this study, we identified 76 tandemly duplicated gene pairs across the six species. A total of 3,445 collinear gene pairs were found, with 1,877 pairs in wheat. Furthermore, most collinear gene pairs have Ka/Ks values less than 1. Comparative analysis of multiple physiological indices, including relative coleoptile length and CAT activity, revealed that common wheat cultivars JM6425 and JM4293 exhibited stronger drought tolerance compared to JM4258 and JM5787. TaZFP3D-12 and TaZFP5D-22 exhibited similar expression patterns in drought-tolerant varieties, contrasting with those in drought-sensitive ones.