Genome-wide characterization of the GRF transcription factors in potato ( L.) and expression analysis of genes during potato tuber dormancy and sprouting.

Growth-regulating factors (GRFs) are transcription factors that play a pivotal role in plant growth and development. This study identifies 12 GRF transcription factors (StGRFs) and analyzes their physicochemical properties, phylogenetic relationships, gene structures and gene expression patterns using bioinformatics. The StGRFs exhibit a length range of 266 to 599 amino acids, with a molecular weight of 26.02 to 64.52 kDa. The majority of possess three introns. The promoter regions contain a plethora of -acting elements related to plant growth and development, as well as environmental stress and hormone response. All the members of the StGRF family contain conserved WRC and QLQ domains, with the sequences of these two conserved domain modules exhibiting high levels of conservation. Transcriptomic data indicates that play a significant role in the growth and development of stamens, roots, young tubers, and other tissues or organs in potatoes. Furthermore, a few exhibit differential expression patterns in response to , chemical elicitors, heat, salt, and drought stresses, as well as multiple hormone treatments. The results of the expression analysis indicate that , , , , and are involved in the process of tuber sprouting, while and may play a role in tuber dormancy. These findings offer valuable insights that can be used to investigate the roles of during potato tuber dormancy and sprouting.