Identification, genomic organization, and comprehensive expression analysis reveals the implication of Cicer arietinum SKP1-like genes in abiotic stress

Abstract

Ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis is a central pathway that controls protein turnover. Ubiquitin–proteasome pathway works sequentially to ubiquitinate appropriate substrates that subsequently lead to its degradation via 26S proteasome. Among the several classes of ubiquitin E3 ligases, the SKP1-Cullin-F-box class is generally the most common and widely explored. SKP1-like proteins in plants have gained less attention than other SCF complex components, although they have a larger involvement in controlling wide aspects of vascular plants. Several studies have shown that SKP1-like proteins regulate abiotic stress tolerance on their own, in addition to working in the SCF complex. However, the identification and characterization of SKP1-like genes in chickpea are missing. In the present study, we have identified 15 SKP1-like genes in the chickpea genome that have been categorized into three types type Ia, type Ib, and type II based on the structure and sequence. The evolutionary conservation of the chickpea SKP1 family with dicots and monocots was discovered utilizing phylogenetic analysis. The presence of hormone, plant growth and development, and various stress-related cis-regulatory elements in all chickpea SKP1-like gene promoters showed that SKP1-like genes have a potential role in functions in hormone and various abiotic stress signaling in chickpea. According to the qRT-PCR expression study, most chickpea SKP1-like genes are differently expressed under three abiotic stresses; namely drought, salt, and oxidative stress. As a result, the current work offers up new possibilities for leveraging SKP1-related data to better understand the role of abiotic stress tolerance in the chickpea plant.