Genome-Wide Identification, Function, and Expression Analysis of the ABC Transporter Gene Family in Forest Musk Deer (Moschus berezovskii) Under Musk Secretion Stage

The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter family is one of the oldest conserved protein families and is widely present in animal and plant cells. However, few studies have investigated the role of ABC in the forest musk deer (FMD; <i>Moschus berezovskii</i>). In this study, we employed bioinformatics methods to identify and analyze the ABC transporter genes in <i>M. berezovskii</i> to elucidate the potential function of ABC genes in musk secretion. A total of 51 members of the MbABC gene family were identified. The analysis encompassed various aspects including physical and chemical properties, phylogenetic tree, structure prediction, conserved motifs, gene structures, chromosome localization, collinearity analysis, and KEGG and GO enrichment. Collinearity analysis revealed that the ABC transporter gene family is conserved in FMD, Cervidae, and five Bovinae species. <i>MbABCB6</i>, <i>MbABCD4</i>, <i>MbABCF3</i>, and <i>MbABCG5</i> are key genes in protein-protein interaction networks, which are primarily involved in the transport of vitamins, lipids, and proteins. Tissue expression analysis showed that MbABCs were expressed at different stages. The RT-qPCR analysis revealed that 12 <i>MbABC</i> genes were up-regulated in musk gland cells during the non-secretion phase and stimulation phase, particularly <i>MbABCC4d</i> and <i>MbABCC3</i>. This study provides comprehensive information on the <i>ABC</i> gene family in FMD which can be further used for their functional validation.