Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of the ALKB Homolog Gene Family in Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

<i>N</i>⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) is an abundant and pervasive post-transcriptional modification in eukaryotic mRNAs. AlkB homolog (ALKBH) proteins play crucial roles in RNA metabolism and translation, participating in m⁶A methylation modification to regulate plant development. However, no comprehensive investigations have been conducted on <i>ALKBH</i> in potato. Here, 11 <i>StALKBH</i> family genes were identified in potato and renamed according to BLASTP and phylogenetic analyses following the <i>Arabidopsis</i> genome. The characteristics, sequence structures, motif compositions, phylogenetics, chromosomal locations, synteny, and promoter <i>cis</i>-acting element predictions were analyzed, revealing distinct evolutionary relationships between potato and other species (tomato and <i>Arabidopsis</i>). Homologous proteins were classified into seven groups depending on similar conserved domains, which implies that they possess a potentially comparable function. Moreover, the <i>StALKBH</i>s were ubiquitous, and their expression was examined in the various tissues of a whole potato, in which the <i>StALKBH</i> genes, except for <i>StALKBH2,</i> were most highly expressed in the stolon and flower. Multiple hormone and stress-response elements were found to be located in the promoters of the <i>StALKBH</i> genes. Further qRT-PCR results suggest that they may be significantly upregulated in response to phytohormones and abiotic stress (except for cold), and the expression of most of the <i>StALKBH</i> genes exhibited positively modulated trends. Overall, this study is the first to report a genome-wide assessment of the <i>ALKBH</i> family in potato, providing valuable insights into candidate gene selection and facilitating in-depth functional analyses of ALKBH-mediated m⁶A methylation mechanisms in potato.