Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of the Basic Leucine Zipper (bZIP) Transcription Factor Gene Family in

The basic leucine zipper (bZIP) is a widely found transcription factor family that plays regulatory roles in a variety of cellular processes including cell growth and development and various stress responses. However, the bZIP gene family has not been well studied at a genome-wide scale in , a potent pathogen of cereal grains. In the present study, we conducted a genome-wide identification, characterization, and expression profiling of 22 bZIP () genes at different developmental stages and under various abiotic stresses. All identified were categorized into nine groups based on their sequence similarity and phylogenetic tree analysis. Furthermore, the gene structure analysis, conserved motif analysis, chromosomal localization, protein network studies, and synteny analysis were performed. The symmetry of the exon and intron varied with the phylogenetic groups. The post-translational modifications (PTMs) analysis also predicted several phosphorylation sites in FgbZIPs, indicating their functional diversity in cellular processes. The evolutionary study identified many orthogroups among eight species and also predicted several gene duplication events in . The protein modeling indicated the presence of a higher number of α-helices and random coils in their structures. The expression patterns of genes showed that 5 genes, including , , and , had high expression at different growth and conidiogenesis stages. Similarly, eight genes including , , , , , , and demonstrated their putative role in response to various abiotic stresses. In summary, these results provided basic information regarding FgbZIPs which are helpful for further functional analysis.