Genome-Wide Identification and Systematic Analysis of the HSF Gene Family in Capparis spinosa and Its Expression Under High Temperature

Sep 30, 2026

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Heat shock transcription factor genes are a crucial transcription factor family for plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses, particularly high-temperature stress regulation. Although many plant species have been studied, desert plants with extreme stress tolerance remain underexplored. This work identifies the HSF gene family in Capparis spinosa via whole-genome analysis and performs systematic characterization of gene structure, chromosomal distribution, evolution, collinearity, and related features.

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1. Introduction

Article Genome-Wide Identification and Systematic Analysis of the HSF Gene Family in Capparis spinosa and Its Expression Under High Temperature Li Li 1,2, Ruiqi Zhang 2, Aybulan Tuohtarbek 2 and Cong Cheng 1,2, * Academic Editor: Tibor Janda Received: 20 November 2025 Revised: 26 December 2025 Accepted: 30 December 2025 Published: 3 January 2026 Copyright: © 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. 1 Xinjiang Key Laboratory for Ecological Adaptation and Evolution of Extreme Environment Organisms, College of Life Sciences, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China; [lili@xjau.edu.cn](lili@xjau.edu.cn) 2 College of Life Science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China * Correspondence: [cheng_c@xjau.edu.cn](cheng_c@xjau.edu.cn) Abstract The heat shock transcription factor is a critical transcription factor gene family in plant response to biotic and abiotic stress, especially in regulating high-temperature stress. While this gene family has been extensively characterized and investigated across a broad range of plant species, research focusing on desert plants with extreme stress tolerance remains relatively scarce. Therefore, this study aimed at the desert plant Capparis spinosa, conducted the whole genome identification of its HSF gene family, and performed a comprehensive systematic analysis including gene structure, chromosome localization, systematic evolution, gene collinearity, and other characteristics. The results showed that the CsHSF family contains 24 genes that are distributed on 14 chromosomes. It has three types, as usual, and different types of genes contain specific conserved motifs. The CsHSF genes exhibit concentrated collinearity with Arabidopsis thaliana, and upstream of the genes, there are 605 cis-elements in response to growth and development, stress, and hormones. On this basis, heatmaps and co-expression networks were drawn based on the reported gene expression in different growth regions of the Capparis spinosa genome. The results demonstrated that certain genes exhibit distinct expression patterns across different growth regions and have close interrelationships with each other. Further transcriptome sequencing and analysis were performed on the leaves of wild Capparis spinosa exposed to high-temperature stress, and the exploration of differential expression of the CsHSF genes revealed that 8 genes play significant regulatory roles in response to heat stress. The results of this research can provide valuable insights into the function and mechanism of the HSF gene family in desert plants, as well as a reference for the analysis of stress resistance mechanisms in desert plants. The obtained genes can supply candidate genes for subsequent functional verification and mechanism analysis. Keywords: HSF gene family; Capparis spinosa; heat stress; expression; gene structure; systematic evolution 1. Introduction Hot extremes are one of the climate disasters that can lead to the deterioration of plant habitats and large-scale crop yields, thereby affecting ecological stability and agricultural development [1] . The intensity and frequency of extreme high temperatures have increased steadily in recent years, becoming one of the primary factors that compromise global food production stability [2] . Heat shock transcription factor (HSF) is a key factor in the signal transduction system of eukaryotes involved in responding to heat stress and various abiotic stresses [3] . The genes of this family not only enhance plant stress tolerance through regulating the transcriptional activity of downstream functional genes, but also have been shown to play an indispensable role in plant growth and development [4] . The HSF gene family has been identified in no fewer than 111 plant species, and dedicated database p

FAQs

What is the main goal of this study on Capparis spinosa?

To identify and systematically analyze the HSF gene family in the desert plant Capparis spinosa, and to investigate how these genes are expressed under high-temperature stress.

How many HSF genes were found in the CsHSF family and how are they distributed?

The CsHSF family contains 24 genes distributed across 14 chromosomes.

Which genes are implicated in the response to heat stress?

Differential expression analysis in wild Capparis spinosa leaves exposed to high-temperature stress indicates that 8 CsHSF genes play significant regulatory roles.

Sep 30, 2026

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