*2.2. Phylogenetic Analysis and Classification of LiNAC Proteins*

We used the neighbor-joining (NJ) method to create a phylogenetic tree with 1000 bootstrap replications to shed light on the evolutionary relationships between proteins from *L. indica* and *A. thaliana*. Based on well-established *Arabidopsis* family classification and their homology with NAC proteins in *Arabidopsis*, 21 LiNAC proteins were classified into two groups, Group I and Group II, including 14 subgroups (Figure 1): OsNAC7, ANAC011, NAM, NAC1, ATAF, ANAC3/NAP, SENU5, ONAC022, TIP, NAC2, OsNAC8, ANAC001, ONAC003, and ANAC063. In our analysis, no LiNAC members from the subgroups ANAC011, NAM, ATAF, AtNAC3/NAP, OsNAC8, ONAC003, and ANAC063 were identified. Subgroup TIP had the most members (6) of *L. indica* and subgroups NAC1 and OsNAC7 had the fewest (1).

The LiNAC proteins clustered in the same subgroup, according to phylogenetic relationships, and may have related roles. For instance, NAC1 members are crucial for auxin signaling and the growth of lateral roots in plants [26]. The *NTL9* gene belonging to the TIP subgroup is heavily implicated in plant immune response [27]. The NAC family members in the ATAF, NAP, and AtNAC3 subgroups have a conserved role in stress response [28] and leaf senescence [17,29]. There are two distinct subgroups of NAC proteins that are involved in the formation of vascular vessels and the creation of secondary plant cell walls [30]. *SND2*, *SND3*, and other participants were placed into subgroup ONAC003, while *NST1*, *NST2*, *NST3/SND1*, and *VNDs* were grouped into subgroup OsNAC7.
