Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of the Msr Gene Family in Alfalfa under Abiotic Stress

Alfalfa ( ) is an important leguminous forage, known as the "The Queen of Forages". Abiotic stress seriously limits the growth and development of alfalfa, and improving the yield and quality has become an important research area. However, little is known about the Msr (methionine sulfoxide reductase) gene family in alfalfa. In this study, 15 genes were identified through examining the genome of the alfalfa "Xinjiang DaYe". The MsMsr genes differ in gene structure and conserved protein motifs. Many cis-acting regulatory elements related to the stress response were found in the promoter regions of these genes. In addition, a transcriptional analysis and qRT-PCR (quantitative reverse transcription PCR) showed that genes show expression changes in response to abiotic stress in various tissues. Overall, our results suggest that genes play an important role in the response to abiotic stress for alfalfa.