Objective   Bioinformatics and expressions under stresses of glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) gene family member, ZmGPAT13, in maize were studied.

  Method   Sequences of GPAT family members in Arabidopsis thaliana and Zea mays L. were obtained from the TAIR and MaizeGDB databases. Physicochemical properties, protein structure, subcellular localization, conserved motifs, phylogenetic evolution, phosphorylation sites, and cis-acting elements of promoter sequence of the GPATs were analyzed by bioinformatic methods. Expressions of ZmGPAT13under the stresses of mannitol, NaCl, abscisic acid (ABA), high temperature at 42 ℃, and low temperature at 4 ℃ were examined by qRT-PCR.

  Result  A transmembrane protein, ZmGPAT13 localized in mitochondria, shared the same 15 conserved motifs with other GPAT family members, and had the highest homology with AtGPAT1 in arabidopsis. It contained 62 phosphorylation sites and might interact with multiple GPATs of maize. The promoters of ZmGPAT13consisted of numerous cis-acting elements associated with the responses to low temperature and ABA stresses. The gene expressed most highly in the coleoptile, followed by the roots and the lowest in the leaves. And, relatively, the expressions were significantly elevated under the stress of mannitol, NaCl, ABA or high or low temperature.

  Conclusion   A high evolutionary conservation seemed existed in ZmGPAT13. It was postulated that, at transcription level, ZmGPAT13 might be involved in the responses of maize plants to abiotic stresses such as drought, salt, and extreme temperatures.