ASHS 2025 Conference

Protein phosphatases, particularly PP2C families, are vital regulators of cellular activity through the removal of phosphate groups from proteins. Numerous biological processes, such as hormone signaling, reactions to heat and drought stress, and abiotic stress tolerance, are impacted by this dephosphorylation process. This study presents comprehensive genomic analysis, evolutionary assessment and transcript profiling of the PP2C gene family in sweet potato, a crop of major agricultural and nutritional importance. A total of 74 PP2C genes have been identified in sweet potato. Among them, 7 gene pairs were identified as segmental duplication while 5 pairs as tandem duplications. Phylogenetic analysis grouped them into distinct clusters, indicating potential functional divergence. Gene structure analysis provided insights into the arrangement of coding and non-coding regions. Motif and domain analysis highlighted conserved protein sequences aiding functional predictions. Synteny analysis compared genomic regions across species identifying homologous genes and tracing genome evolution. The study of cis-regulatory elements in promoters helped map gene regulations. Gene expression analysis is currently being conducted to determine the transcript levels of PP2C during salinity and drought stress. The results provide a basis for additional validation of the roles of the PP2C gene in sweet potatoes and advance our knowledge of the evolutionary background and functional significance of PP2C in biotic and abiotic stress response.