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Stylosanthes scabra, a legume native to the Brazilian semiarid region, exhibits remarkable drought tolerance and represents a valuable model for studying molecular adaptation in legumes. Transcription factors of the AP2/ERF superfamily play central roles in plant development and stress response. This study aimed to identify and characterize AP2/ERF genes in Stylosanthes scabra and to analyze their transcriptional response to root dehydration. Candidate genes were identified through a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) search using the AP2 domain profile (PF00847), followed by validation of conserved domains, physicochemical characterization, prediction of subcellular localization, phylogenetic and structural analyses, and functional annotation. A total of 295 AP2/ERF proteins were identified and designated as SscAP2/ERF, most of which were predicted to be localized in the nucleus. These proteins exhibited a wide range of molecular weights and isoelectric points, reflecting structural diversity, and were classified into four subfamilies: AP2, ERF, DREB, and RAV. Functional annotation revealed predominant roles in DNA binding and transcriptional regulation, while promoter analysis identified numerous stress-related cis-elements. A total of 32 transcripts were differentially expressed under 24 h of water deficit, and four selected genes had their expression patterns validated by qPCR. These findings provide new insights into the AP2/ERF gene subfamily in Stylosanthes scabra and lay the groundwork for future biotechnological approaches to enhance stress tolerance in legumes.

Objective: This study aimed to align genetic linkage groups (LGs) with the mango physical map by comparing single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sequences in the 'Alphonso' mango genome.   Theoretical Framework: Few studies have evaluated the impact of linkage group (LG) formation and marker ordering on quantitative trait loci (QTL) estimates for marker-assisted selection (MAS).   Method: SNPs from the mango linkage groups (n=20) were aligned on the chromosomes of the genome sequence of the 'Alphonso' mango (n=20), evaluating the correspondence between the genetic linkage map and the physical map.   Results and Discussion: Four major aberrations were identified: (a) chromosome 1 was divided into LGs 9 and 14; (b) chromosome 4 was split between LGs 1 and 3; (c) LG 8 was formed by combining SNPs from chromosomes 9 and 17 of 'Alphonso'; and (d) chromosome 18 was not represented in any of the 20 LGs. All remaining LGs, except LGs 11, 14 and 20, contained at least one SNP from non-corresponding reference chromosomes. Significant discrepancies in SNP ordering were observed across the 20 LGs, particularly in 12 LGs.   Research Implications: For species with available genome sequences, physical maps, created through SNP sequence Blast alignment, yield better results for quantitative trait mapping aimed at marker-assisted selection.   Originality/Value: QTLs utilization in MAS remains limited. Insufficient attention has been given to limitations in linkage group formation and marker ordering compared to physical mapping as sources of spurious QTL estimates.