Wheat Lysin-Motif-Containing Proteins Characterization and Gene Expression Patterns under Abiotic and Biotic Stress

Abstract

Lysin motif (LysM)-containing proteins (LYPs) are important pattern recognition receptors in plants. However, the evolutionary history and characteristics of LYP genes remain largely unclear in wheat. In this study, 62 LYPs were identified at genome wide in wheat. Based on phylogenetic and domain analysis, wheat LYPs were classified into 6 subgroups (group LysMe, LysMn, LYP, LYK, LysMFbox). Syntenic analysis showed the evolution of LYP genes in wheat. RNA-seq data showed that 22 genes were not expressed at any tissue or stress stimulation period. Some LYP and LYK genes were tissue- or stage- specific. The majority of TaLYK5s, TaLYK6s, TaLYP2s and TaLysMns genes were induced under chitin, flg22 and fungal treatment. qRT-PCR analysis showed that 4 genes were upregulated during Puccinia triticina infection with a peak at 18 h post inoculation. Our findings suggested that wheat LYPs may have specific roles in response to fungal infection and provided insights into the function and characteristics of wheat LYP genes.