**Huifang Yan, Yujiao Wang, Bing Hu, Zhenfei Qiu, Bingshan Zeng \* and Chunjie Fan \***

Key Laboratory of State Forestry Administration on Tropical Forest Research, Research Institute of Tropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Guangzhou 510520, China; yhuifangy@gmail.com (H.Y.); wangyujiao@caf.ac.cn (Y.W.); hubing@caf.ac.cn (B.H.); qiuzhenfei@caf.ac.cn (Z.Q.)

**\*** Correspondence: b.s.zeng@vip.tom.com (B.Z.); fanchunjie@caf.ac.cn (C.F.); Tel.: +86-020-87032851 (B.Z.); +86-020-87032851 (C.F.)

Received: 24 February 2019; Accepted: 1 April 2019; Published: 10 April 2019

**Abstract:** *VQ* genes play important roles in plant development, growth, and stress responses. However, little information regarding the functions of *VQ* genes is available for *Eucalyptus grandis*. In our study, genome-wide characterization and identification of *VQ* genes were performed in *E. grandis*. Results showed that 27 *VQ* genes, which divided into seven sub-families (I–VII), were found, and all but two *VQ* genes showed no intron by gene structure and conserved motif analysis. To further identify the function of EgrVQ proteins, gene expression analyses were also developed under hormone treatments (brassinosteroids, methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, and abscisic acid) and abiotic conditions (salt stress, cold 4 ◦C, and heat 42 ◦C). The results of a quantitative real-time PCR analysis indicated that the *EgrVQs* were variously expressed under different hormone treatments and abiotic stressors. Our study provides a comprehensive overview of *VQ* genes in *E. grandis*, which will be beneficial in the molecular breeding of *E. grandis* to promote its resistance to abiotic stressors; the results also provide a basis from which to conduct further investigation into the functions of *VQ* genes in *E. grandis*.

**Keywords:** *VQ* genes family; *Eucalyptus grandis*; expression pattern; plant hormones; abiotic stress
