Argonaute (AGO) proteins are the core of the RNA-induced gene silencing complex which regulate a wide variety of processes in plants, from organ development to abiotic stress responses. They have been identified in many plants, but little is known in longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.), and how AGO functions in the signaling pathways in plant embryos in response to changing environmental stimuli remains unclear. In the present research, a genome-wide analysis of the AGO gene family members and their roles in somatic embryogenesis (SE), zygotic embryogenesis (ZE), tissue developmental processes, and responses to hormones, light and abiotic stress in longan were conducted. Ten longan AGO genes were identified genome-wide and divided into four clades. They were distributed on chromosomes 1, 4, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, and 15, and had 2–23 introns. The expression profiling implied that DIAGOs regulated early and middle embryogenesis, as well as developmental processes of seed, flower, and stem in longan. In addition, the transcript levels of DIAGOs in response to exogenous hormones, light and abiotic stress showed differences in expression patterns. These results provide the useful information for further elucidation of RNAi-mediated gene silencing in longan embryogenic callus (EC).

Argonaute (AGO) 蛋白是 RNA 诱导的基因沉默复合物的核心，它调节植物中从器官发育到非生物胁迫反应的各种过程。它们已在许多植物中被发现，但在龙眼 ( Dimocarpus longan Lour.) 中知之甚少，而且AGO如何在植物胚胎的信号通路中发挥作用，以响应不断变化的环境刺激仍不清楚。在本研究中，对AGO基因家族成员及其在体细胞胚胎发生 (SE)、合子胚胎发生 (ZE)、组织发育过程以及对龙眼激素、光和非生物胁迫的反应中的作用进行了全基因组分析。十龙眼AGO基因在全基因组范围内被鉴定并分为四个进化枝。它们分布在 1、4、8、10、12、13、14 和 15 号染色体上，有 2-23 个内含子。表达谱表明DIAGOs调控龙眼的早期和中期胚胎发生，以及种子、花和茎的发育过程。此外，DIAGOs响应外源激素、光和非生物胁迫的转录水平显示出表达模式的差异。这些结果为进一步阐明龙眼胚性愈伤组织 (EC) 中 RNAi 介导的基因沉默提供了有用的信息。