Genome-wide identification and expression profiling of MYB transcription factors in Artemisia argyi

Artemisia argyi, a significant medicinal plant in China, is known for its high content of essential oils, flavonoids, and other bioactive compounds. MYB transcription factors are the largest gene family in plants and are widely reported to play important roles in plant development, metabolism, defense, and stress resistance. However, the MYB family of A. argyi has not been systematically studied. The aim of this study was to comprehensively analyze the MYB gene family of A. argyi and explore its potential role in flavonoid biosynthesis. Here, the phylogeny, chromosome location, gene structure, cis-acting elements, expression patterns and Gene ontology (GO) annotation of MYB gene family members were investigated using bioinformatics methods based on the whole-genome and transcriptome data of A. argyi. In total, 227 AYMYB transcription factors were identified from A. argyi genome, including 22 1R-MYB, 165 R2R3-MYB, 16 3R-MYB, 5 4R-MYB and 19 atypical MYB members. These AYMYBs were unevenly distributed across the A. argyi genome. Subcellular localization prediction revealed that all the AYMYBs were localized in the nucleus. The protein motifs, conserved domains, and gene structures of AYMYBs were identified, and the results showed that AYMYBs from the same subfamily exhibited similar motifs and gene structures. Cis-acting elements and GO analysis suggested that AYMYBs may be involved in many biological processes related to plant development, metabolism, defense, and stress resistance. Moreover, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that approximately 50 genes showed high expression levels in the leaves of A. argyi and AYMYBs showed specific expression patterns under MeJA treatment. Together, our research will offer useful information for future investigations into the functions of MYB genes in A. argyi, especially in regulating the process of flavonoid biosynthesis in leaves and in response to MeJA treatment.