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Genome-Wide Identification and Colchicine-Responsive Expression Profiling of the Tubulins (TUA and TUB) Gene Family in Phoebe bournei
by
,
Xiaowen Li
1
,
Jun Shen
2,
Zeping Jian
1,
Guoxin Mei
1,
Bao Liu
1,
Wenjun Lin
1,
Shipin Chen
1,* and
Haichao Hu
1,* 1
College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
2
Fujian Province Yunxiao County Forestry Bureau, Zhangzhou 363300, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Biology 2026, 15(17), 1456; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology15171456
Submission received: 20 July 2026
/
Revised: 19 August 2026
/
Accepted: 20 August 2026
/
Published: 26 August 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Plant Genomics and Genome Editing)
Simple Summary
Tubulins assemble into mitotic spindles and play vital roles in polyploid formation. However, the tubulin gene family has not previously been characterized in Phoebe bournei, an economically and ecologically important native tree species. Here, we identified 16 tubulin genes and analyzed their evolutionary relationships, gene structures, conserved domains, cis-regulatory elements, tissue-specific as well as colchicine-induced expression patterns. Expression patterns across five tissues revealed that most tubulin transcripts accumulate preferentially in roots and stems. These genes may be involved in root development in P. bournei. Importantly, colchicine treatment induced pronounced downregulation in the expression of almost all tubulin genes. This work systematically characterizes the tubulin family in P. bournei and provides useful information for polyploid breeding.
Abstract
Phoebe bournei is an economically and ecologically important woody species native to China. As a core component of colchicine-triggered polyploid breeding, the tubulin genes (TUA and TUB) have been identified and functionally analyzed in many plants, but not yet in P. bournei. Here, tubulin family members in P. bournei were identified through sequence alignment and subsequently characterized using comprehensive bioinformatic analyses. In particular, a total of six PbTUA and ten PbTUB members were identified and grouped into two and five subfamilies, respectively, according to phylogenetic relationships. Most tubulin proteins were small (414–522 aa) with predicted stability. Furthermore, 36 collinear gene pairs were identified, suggesting a possible contribution to the evolutionary expansion of this family. For different tissues, the expression levels of most tubulin genes were generally lower in leaves but higher in roots. Besides, treatment with 1.0% colchicine inhibited the expression of all 15 tubulin genes except PbTUB6. These results provide preliminary insights into tubulin genes associated with polyploid induction and supply candidate genes for future functional studies toward polyploid germplasm creation of P. bournei.
Keywords:
Phoebe bournei; polyploid breeding; tubulin gene family; candidate gene; RNA-seq
