*Article* **In Silico Characterization and Expression Profiles of Heat Shock Transcription Factors (HSFs) in Maize (***Zea mays* **L.)**

**Saqlain Haider 1,\*, Shazia Rehman 2, Yumna Ahmad 1, Ali Raza 3,\*, Javaria Tabassum 4, Talha Javed 5,6, Hany S. Osman <sup>7</sup> and Tariq Mahmood <sup>1</sup>**


**Abstract:** Heat shock transcription factors (HSFs) regulate many environmental stress responses and biological processes in plants. Maize (*Zea mays* L.) is a major cash crop that is grown worldwide. However, the growth and yield of maize are affected by several adverse environmental stresses. Therefore, investigating the factors that regulate maize growth and development and resistance to abiotic stress is an essential task for developing stress-resilient maize varieties. Thus, a comprehensive genome-wide identification analysis was performed to identify *HSFs* genes in the maize genome. The current study identified 25 *ZmHSFs*, randomly distributed throughout the maize genome. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that *ZmHSFs* are divided into three classes and 13 sub-classes. Gene structure and protein motif analysis supported the results obtained through the phylogenetic analysis. Segmental duplication is shown to be responsible for the expansion of *ZmHSFs*. Most of the *ZmHSFs* are localized inside the nucleus, and the *ZmHSFs* which belong to the same group show similar physio-chemical properties. Previously reported and publicly available RNA-seq analysis revealed a major role of class A HSFs including *ZmHSFA-1a* and *ZmHSFA-2a* in all the maize growth stages, i.e., seed, vegetative, and reproductive development. Under abiotic stress conditions (heat, drought, cold, UV, and salinity), members of class A and B *ZmHSFs* are induced. Gene ontology and protein–protein interaction analysis indicated a major role of *ZmHSFs* in resistance to environmental stress and regulation of primary metabolism. To summarize, this study provides novel insights for functional studies on the *ZmHSFs* in maize breeding programs.

**Keywords:** abiotic stress; HSFs; genomics; gene ontology; maize breeding; protein 3D structures
