Genome-Wide Characterization of VDAC Gene Family in Soybean (<em>Glycine max</em> L.) and in-silico Expression Profiling in Response to Drought and Salt Stresses

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is grown worldwide to obtain edible oil, livestock feed, and biodiesel. However, drought and salt stresses are becoming serious challenges to glob-al soybean cultivation as they retard the growth of soybean plants and cause significant yield losses. Voltage dependent anion-selective channel (VDAC) proteins are well-known for their role in drought and salt tolerance in crop plants. In this study, we identified 111 putative VDAC genes randomly distributed in genomes of 14 plant species, including cultivated soybean (Glycine max) and wild soybean (Glycine soja). The comparative phylogenetic studies classified these genes into six different clades and found the highest structural similarities among VDAC genes of G. max and G. soja. Porin-3 was the conserved domain, and seven motifs were also conserved in all VDAC proteins. Furthermore, GmaVDAC proteins were found in outer mitochondrial membrane and gene annotation studies revealed their role in voltage gated anion channel activity. These proteins were also found to interact with other proteins especially the mitochondrial receptors. A total of 103 miRNAs were predicted to target fifteen GmaVDAC genes. In G. max, these genes were found segmentally duplicated and randomly distributed on twelve chromosomes. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that GmaVDAC18.2 gene showed overexpression in root nodules whereas, GmaVDAC9.1, GmaVDAC18.1, and GmaVDAC18.2 genes showed overexpression under drought and salt stress conditions.