Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of the CesA/Csl Superfamily in Madhuca pasquieri

The cellulose synthase gene superfamily encompasses two major groups, CesA and Csl, which are vital for synthesizing cellulose and hemicellulose in plant cell walls and fundamental to plant growth and developmental regulation. Madhuca pasquieri is a rare tree with high timber value. Currently, there is no relevant report on the identification and characterization of the CesA/Csl gene family in M. pasquieri. In this study, based on the high-quality genome of M. pasquieri, 47 members of the CesA/Csl superfamily were identified and classified into seven subfamilies, including CesA, CslA, CslB, CslC, CslD, CslE and CslG. Cis-acting elements were identified via analysis of the 2000 bp upstream sequences of MpCesA, suggesting extensive involvement in biotic and abiotic stress regulation. Based on the transcriptome data of five growth periods, the expression of the CesA/Csl family was analyzed. Combined with phylogenetic information, it is inferred that MpCesA4/7b/7a/8b may regulate the secondary wall, while MpCesA1/3b/6b may regulate the primary wall. Protein–protein interaction showed that MpCesA4/7b/8a were in the core site. Finally, we constructed the cellulose synthase complex (MpCesA4/7b/8b) model using AlphaFold3, which suggests that MpCesA4/7b/8b may form a complex on the plasma membrane to carry out cellulose synthesis. This study has a limitation in that the complex and its expression lack experimental validation, and only data analysis is provided as a reference, offering some directions for future research. In summary, the systematic characterization of the MpCesA/Csl gene family provides important insights into cell wall formation, genetic enhancement, and future biotechnological applications of this species.