<i>OSCA</i> Genes in Bread Wheat: Molecular Characterization, Expression Profiling, and Interaction Analyses Indicated Their Diverse Roles during Development and Stress Response

The hyperosmolality-gated calcium-permeable channels (OSCA) are pore-forming transmembrane proteins that function as osmosensors during various plant developmental processes and stress responses. In our analysis, through in silico approaches, a total of 42 <i>OSCA</i> genes are identifie...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Amandeep Kaur, Alok Sharma, Madhu, Sameer Dixit, Kashmir Singh, Santosh Kumar Upadhyay
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-11-01
Series:International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/23/14867
Description
Summary:The hyperosmolality-gated calcium-permeable channels (OSCA) are pore-forming transmembrane proteins that function as osmosensors during various plant developmental processes and stress responses. In our analysis, through in silico approaches, a total of 42 <i>OSCA</i> genes are identified in the <i>Triticum aestivum</i> genome. A phylogenetic analysis reveals the close clustering of the OSCA proteins of <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i>, <i>Oryza sativa</i>, and <i>T. aestivum</i> in all the clades, suggesting their origin before the divergence of dicots and monocots. Furthermore, evolutionary analyses suggest the role of segmental and tandem duplication events (Des) and purifying selection pressure in the expansion of the <i>OSCA</i> gene family in <i>T. aestivum</i>. Expression profiling in various tissue developmental stages and under abiotic and biotic stress treatments reveals the probable functioning of <i>OSCA</i> genes in plant development and the stress response in <i>T. aestivum</i>. In addition, protein–protein and protein–chemical interactions reveal that OSCA proteins might play a putative role in Ca<sup>2+</sup>-mediated developmental processes and adaptive responses. The miRNA interaction analysis strengthens the evidence for their functioning in various biological processes and stress-induced signaling cascades. The current study could provide a foundation for the functional characterization of <i>TaOSCA</i> genes in future studies.
ISSN:1661-6596
1422-0067