14-3-3 proteins are highly conserved regulatory proteins that integrate signaling pathways governing plant growth, development, and stress responses. However, the 14-3-3 gene family in oat (Avena sativa) has not been systematically investigated. Here, we performed a comprehensive analysis of oat 14-3-3 genes, including their physicochemical properties, gene structures, phylogeny, conserved motifs, promoter cis-elements, and selective pressures. A total of 19 AsGF14 genes were identified and classified into the ε and non-ε groups. The AsGF14 gene family expanded primarily through segmental duplications and has been under strong purifying selection during evolution. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that six AsGF14 genes were significantly upregulated at one or more time points under drought stress. Notably, AsGF14k exhibited sustained and significant upregulation. Subcellular localization analysis showed that AsGF14k localized to both the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Furthermore, Y2H assays indicated that AsGF14k does not form homodimers. Our results provide a systematic characterization of the AsGF14 gene family and their drought-responsive expression patterns, establishing a preliminary basis for the functional validation of AsGF14 genes under drought stress.
Xu et al. (Wed,) studied this question.