Abstract: Amorphophallus konjac, a prominent cultivar of konjac in China, holds significant economic value. The key enzyme, Ribulose-1,5-diphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco), plays a pivotal role in carbon assimilation during the dark reactions of photosynthesis in green plants. Activation of Rubisco by Rubisco activase (RCA) is essential for maintaining high catalytic activity, thus contributing significantly to plant photosynthesis. In this study, bioinformatics methods were employed to comprehensively identify the RCA family genes of A. konjac at the whole-genome level. Additionally, a preliminary analysis was conducted, encompassing physicochemical properties, gene structural characteristics, protein conservation, subcellular localization, and phylogenetic evolution. The findings revealed that the gene family comprises four members with an isoelectric point (PI) ranging from 5.38 to 8.72 and an overall negative hydrophilicity value. Gene structure analysis demonstrated that these family members contain 5-12 exons. Subcellular localization predictions indicated that all four members are situated in chloroplasts. Chromosomal localization analysis identified distribution on 2 out of 26 chromosomes in A. konjac, with AkRCA1 and AkRCA2 located on the same chromosome. The analysis of cis-acting elements in the promoter region suggested the presence of elements associated with light response, methyl jasmonate reaction, drought induction, hypoxia-specific induction, and stress-related effects. Furthermore, protein multiple sequence alignment revealed conserved regions of the AAA+ family and two ATP binding domains in all members of the gene family, indicating a high level of conservation. This study establishes a foundational understanding for future research on RCA function and konjac germplasm improvement.

Key words: Amorphophallus konjac, RCA family genes, bioinformatics analysis, functional analysis