Characterization of the <i>WAK</i> Gene Family Reveals Genes for FHB Resistance in Bread Wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i> L.)
Wall-associated kinases (WAKs) are important receptor-like proteins that play major roles in plant defense against pathogens. Fusarium head blight (FHB), one of the most widespread and devastating crop diseases, reduces wheat yield and leads to quality deterioration. Although WAK gene families have...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-06-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/13/7157 |
| Summary: | Wall-associated kinases (WAKs) are important receptor-like proteins that play major roles in plant defense against pathogens. Fusarium head blight (FHB), one of the most widespread and devastating crop diseases, reduces wheat yield and leads to quality deterioration. Although WAK gene families have been studied in many plants, systematic research on bread wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i>) and its role in FHB resistance, in particular, is lacking. In this study, we identified and characterized 320 genes of the TaWAK family in wheat distributed across all chromosomes except 4B and divided them into three phylogenetic groups. Duplication and synteny analyses provided valuable information on the evolutionary characteristics of the <i>TaWAK</i> genes. The gene expression pattern analysis suggested that <i>TaWAK</i> genes play diverse roles in plant biological processes and that at least 30 genes may be involved in the response to Fusarium infection in wheat spikes, with most of the genes contributing to pectin- and chitin-induced defense pathways. Furthermore, 45 <i>TaWAK</i> genes were identified within 17 hcmQTLs that are related to wheat FHB resistance. Our findings provide potential candidate genes for improving FHB resistance and insights into the future functional analysis of <i>TaWAK</i> genes in wheat. |
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| ISSN: | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |