Genome-Wide Profiling of the ACTIN Gene Family and Its Implications for Agronomic Traits in Brassica napus: A Bioinformatics Study

ACTINs are key structural proteins in plants, which form the actin cytoskeleton and are engaged in numerous routine cellular processes. Meanwhile, <i>ACTIN</i>, recognized as a housekeeping gene, has not yet been thoroughly investigated in <i>Brassica napus</i>. The current research has led to the detection of 69 actin genes in <i>B. napus</i>, which were organized into six distinct subfamilies on the basis of phylogenetic relationships. Functional enrichment analysis, along with the construction of protein interaction networks, suggested that <i>BnACTIN</i>s play roles in Preserving cell morphology and facilitating cytoplasmic movement, plant development, and adaptive responses to environmental stress. Moreover, the <i>BnACTIN</i> genes presented a wide range of expression levels among different tissues, whereas the majority experienced a substantial increase in expression when subjected to various abiotic stresses, demonstrating a pronounced sensitivity to abiotic factors. Furthermore, association mapping analysis indicated that some <i>BnACTIN</i>s potentially affected certain key agronomic traits. Overall, our research deepens the knowledge of <i>BnACTIN</i> genes, promotes the cultivation of improved <i>B. napus</i> strains, and lays the groundwork for subsequent functional research.