Genome-Wide Identification of the KAN Gene Family and Expression Profiles During the Fruit Developmental Stages in...

KANADI (KAN) transcription factors are pivotal regulators of lateral organ polarity establishment in plants. Although extensively studied in herbaceous plants, the role of KAN genes in woody plant development remains unclear. This study conducts the first comprehensive analysis of 26 PmKAN genes in Prunus mume, elucidating their evolutionary trajectories, structural configurations, tissue-specific expression patterns and potential roles in root and fruit development. Phylogenetic analysis of four Rosaceae species and Arabidopsis thaliana clustered these PmKANs into five subfamilies, with conserved motif patterns supporting this classification. Chromosomal localization revealed that all PmKAN members are distributed across eight chromosomes, with tandem duplications events and syntenic relationships indicating functional diversification driven by gene family expansion. Cis-regulatory element analysis identified light-responsive, hormone-associated, stress-related, and developmental motifs, suggesting PmKAN genes are involved in regulating plant physiological processes and development. The qRT-PCR analysis revealed tissue-specific expression heterogeneity among PmKAN genes, with markedly elevated expression particularly observed in roots and fruits. Further expression profiling across fruit developmental stages suggests potential stage-specific functional divergence of PmKAN genes during fruit development. This study provides a theoretical foundation for further investigating the evolutionary relationships and molecular regulatory mechanisms of the PmKAN gene family.