| Summary: | The excessive content of heavy metals and the deficiency of beneficial trace elements in cereals have threatened global food security and human health. As important metal transporters, Natural resistance-associated macrophage proteins (Nramps) are involved in the absorption and transport of various metal ions in plants, including beneficial elements and hazardous heavy metals, yet little is known about their roles in foxtail millet. In this study, 12 <i>Nramps</i> were identified in foxtail millet genome and divided into three clades. Expansion and functional differentiation of <i>SiNramp</i> gene family is evident in the high proportion of gene duplication as well as the diversity in protein structure and expression characteristics. The <i>SiNramp</i> genes exhibited different response patterns to Cd stress in different tissues. Based on the integration of ionome, RNA-seq and orthologous analysis, the association of <i>SiNramp</i> genes with the accumulation of different metal ions was investigated, and the possible functions of several <i>SiNramp</i> genes were predicted, such as <i>SiNramp6</i> and <i>SiNramp12</i>. In general, this study provides a comprehensive theoretical framework for the study of <i>Nramp</i> genes in foxtail millet and other minor gramineous crops, which will lay a foundation for further research on the mechanism of metal transport and accumulation.
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