| Summary: | The <i>COBRA-like</i> (<i>COBL</i>) gene family has been associated with the regulation of cell wall expansion and cellulose deposition. <i>COBL</i> mutants result in reduced levels and disorganized deposition of cellulose causing defects in the cell wall and inhibiting plant development. In this study, we report the identification of 24 <i>COBL</i> genes (<i>GmCOBL</i>) in the soybean genome. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the <i>COBL</i> proteins are divided into two groups, which differ by about 170 amino acids in the N-terminal region. The <i>GmCOBL</i> genes were heterogeneously distributed in 14 of the 20 soybean chromosomes. This study showed that segmental duplication has contributed significantly to the expansion of the <i>COBL</i> family in soybean during all <i>Glycine</i>-specific whole-genome duplication events. The expression profile revealed that the expression of the paralogous genes is highly variable between organs and tissues of the plant. Only 20% of the paralogous gene pairs showed similar expression patterns. The high expression levels of some <i>GmCOBLs</i> suggest they are likely essential for regulating cell expansion during the whole soybean life cycle. Our comprehensive overview of the <i>COBL</i> gene family in soybean provides useful information for further understanding the evolution and diversification of <i>COBL</i> genes in soybean.
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