Genome-Wide Identification of the BvHSFs Gene Family and Their Expression in Sugar Beet (Beta vulgaris L.) Under Salt Stress

When plant growth and development are affected by the environmental stresses, heat shock transcription factors (HSFs) are activated and respond to stresses in many plants. However, the function of the HSF genes family in sugar crop is still unknown. In this study, a total of 16 BvHSF genes in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) were firstly identified by bioinformatics techniques, and they were unevenly distributed on seven of the nine chromosomes. The BvHSF genes were divided into Group A, Group B, and Group C by phylogenetic analysis, and members of the same family were found to have similar protein motifs and gene structures. Moreover, the expression levels of BvHSFs under salt stress were analyzed by qRT-PCR. The results indicated that most of the BvHSF genes were upregulated to varying degrees, which once again verified that BvHSFs were involved in the response of sugar beet to salt stress. This is inextricably related to the composition of cis-acting regulatory elements of BvHSFs. The results from current study implied that BvHSFs play important roles in the response to salt stress and provide a valuable resource for further study of salt tolerance genes in sugar beet.