Genome-Wide Identification, Phylogeny, and Abiotic Stress Response Analysis of OSCA Family Genes in the Alpine Medicinal Herb Notopterygium franchetii

Hyperosmolality-gated calcium-permeable cation channel protein denoted as OSCA, which are mechanosensitive pore-forming ion channels, play a pivotal role in plants' responses to abiotic stressors. <i>Notopterygium franchetii</i>, an endemic perennial plant species distributed in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its adjacent high-altitude regions, is likely to have undergone adaptive evolution in response to extreme abiotic stress conditions. The current study was conducted to characterize the genome-wide characteristics and phylogenetic evolution of the <i>OSCA</i> gene family in <i>N. franchetii</i> and identify its response patterns to drought and high-temperature stresses. We examined the gene family's structural features, phylogenetic relationships, and response to abiotic stresses. The <i>N. franchetii</i> genome had 29 <i>OSCA</i> gene family members on 11 chromosomes. Subcellular localization showed they were mainly in the cell membrane, and a promoter cis-acting element study found that the <i>OSCA</i> gene family contained methyl jasmonate, abscisic acid, and various adversity and hormone response components. Under drought stress, most of the <i>NofOSCAs</i> genes showed a tendency to increase over time in the roots of <i>N. franchetii</i>, while in the aboveground parts, most of the <i>NofOSCAs</i> genes showed a tendency to increase and then decrease. The expression of different <i>NofOSCAs</i> genes in <i>N. franchetii</i> also showed alternating changes under high-temperature stress. Nine members of NofOSCAs were found to be linked to the PPI network, and these members were involved in membrane structure, transmembrane transport, and ion channel function. Our analysis of differential expression revealed that the expression of <i>OSCA</i> genes differed among the different <i>N. franchetii</i> tissues, with the roots exhibiting the highest average expression level, and many genes displayed tissue-specific high expression patterns. These results provided novel insights into the phylogenetic evolution and abiotic stress response mechanisms in the high-altitude medicinal herb <i>N. franchetii</i>.