<p class="first" id="d4380083e150">Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) serve as the top leading
commercial, non-food, and model
crop worldwide. Cyclic nucleotide-gated channels (CNGCs) are ligand-gated, calcium-permeable,
divalent, cation-selective channels, involved in important biological functions. Here,
we systematically characterized thirty-five CNGC genes in the genome of Nicotiana
tabacum, and classified into four phylogenetic groups. Evolutionary analysis showed
that NtabCNGC family of N. tabacum originated from the parental genome of N. sylvestris
and N. tomentosiformis, and further expanded via tandem and segmental duplication
events. Tissue-specific expression analysis showed that twenty-three NtabCNGC genes
are involved in the development of various tobacco tissues. Subsequent RT-qPCR analyses
indicated that these genes are sensitive towards external abiotic and biotic stresses.
Notable performances were exhibited by group-I and IV CNGC genes against black shank,
Cucumber mosaic virus, Potato virus Y, cold, drought, and cadmium stresses. Our analyses
also suggested that NtabCNGCs can be regulated by phosphorylation and miRNAs, and
multiple light, temperature, and pathogen-responsive cis-acting regulatory elements
present in promotors. These results will be useful for elaborating the biological
roles of NtabCNGCs in tobacco growth and development.
</p>