Genome-wide identification, evolution and function analysis of superfamily in cotton.

Glycosyltransferases mainly catalyse the glycosylation reaction in living organisms and widely exists in plants. have been identified from , and . However, Genome-wide systematic analysis of superfamily have not been studied in . 752 were identified from four cotton species and grouped into 18 clades, of which R was newly discovered clades. Most were clustered at both ends of the chromosome and showed a heterogeneous distribution. UGT proteins were widely distributed in cells, with the highest distribution in chloroplasts. of the same clade shared similar intron/exon structural features. During evolution, the gene family has undergone strong selection for purification. were significantly enriched in "transcriptional activity (GO:0016758)" and "metabolic processes (GO:0008152)". Genes from the same clade differed in function under various abiotic stresses. The analysis of cis-acting element and qRT-PCR may indicate that s play important roles in plant growth, development and abiotic stress. We further found that plays an important role under submergence. The study broadens the understanding of in terms of gene characteristics, evolutionary processes, and gene function in cotton and provides a new way to systematically and globally understand the structure-function relationship of multigene families in the evolutionary process.