Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of the Cytidine Deaminase Subfamily in Rice

Abstract

Cytidine deaminase (CDA) belongs to the subfamily of cytidine deaminase-like family of proteins, which is involved in the nucleotide metabolism. As CDAs participate in stress response and disease resistance processes, especially as RNA editing enzymes, they are deemed to play vital roles in variety of biological processes. Considering that the reports of the exact functions of CDAs are obscure and rare, it is necessary to study the CDAs on evolution and bio-information levels. In this research, a genome-wide identification of the CDA subfamily in rice (Oryza sativa L.; OsCDAs) was performed, and the phylogeny, gene structure, and biological functions of the identified genes were investigated. The expression profiles of OsCDAs were also retrieved from public microarray databases, and some of OsCDAs expression patterns were further verified by qRT-PCR. The results of this comprehensive analysis suggested that the OsCDAs were highly conserved within species, but their gene structures were relatively divers. OsCDAs may play vital roles during plant development and participate in responses to different biotic and abiotic stresses. The data obtained from this research may provide important information for the functional characterization of CDAs and help to unravel their function in stress tolerance and disease resistance during plant growth and development.