Abstract:
Theheat shock protein 20(
Hsp20) gene family plays an important role in regulating the stress response and plant development. The characteristics of
Hsp20 in
Cannabis sativa (
CsHsp20), however, are still unclear. We systematically analyzed the
CsHsp20 family based on the whole-genome and transcriptome database of
Cannabis sativa using a series of bioinformatical tools. A total of 35
CsHsp20 genes (
CsHsp20-1-
CsHsp20-35) were identified in
Cannabis sativa; they distribute onto 9 chromosomes and belong to 10 subfamilies, each with similar protein motifs. The promoter region of the
CsHsp20 genes contains a variety of hormone-responsive and stress-responsive
cis-elements, indicating that
CsHsp20 genes are involved in plant growth and development and various stress responses. Protein interaction analysis showed that CsHsp20 proteins interacted with other members of the Hsp family and were regulated by transcription factors Hop and HSFA2. Transcriptome data showed that the expression levels of
CsHsp20 genes were different among different tissues of
Cannabis sativa and across different developmental stages.
CsHsp20 genes were highly expressed mainly in hemp seed and its maturation stage, suggesting that
CsHsp20 gene family members regulate the growth and development of hemp seed. Our research lays a foundation for the studying the function of
CsHsp20 gene family and the directional cultivation of high-quality non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis.