Characterization of the GRAS gene family reveals their contribution to the high adaptability of wheat

Abstract

GRAS transcription factors play important roles in many processes of plant development as well as abiotic and biotic stress responses. However, little is known about this gene family in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum), one of the most important crops worldwide. The completion of a quality draft genome allows genome-wide detection and evolutionary analysis of the GRAS gene family in wheat. In this study, 188 TaGRAS genes were detected and divided into 12 subfamilies based on phylogenetic analyses: DELLA, DLT, HAM, LISCL, SCL3, SCL4/7, SCR, SHR, PAT1, Os19, Os4 and LAS. Tandem and segmental duplications are the main contributors to the expansion of TaGRAS, which may contribute to the adaptation of wheat to various environmental conditions. A high rate of homoeolog retention during hexaploidization was detected, suggesting the nonredundancy and biological importance of TaGRAS homoeologs. Systematic analyses of TaGRAS indicated the conserved expression pattern and function of the same subfamily during evolution. In addition, we detected five genes belonging to the LISCL subfamily induced by both biotic and abiotic stresses and they may be potential targets for further research through gene editing. Using degradome and ChIP-seq data, we identified the targets of miR171 and histone modifications and further analyzed the contribution of epigenetic modification to the subfunctionalization of TaGRAS. This study laid a foundation for further functional elucidation of TaGRAS genes.

Genome-wide identification, expression and salt stress tolerance analysis of the GRAS transcription factor family in Betula platyphylla

“…However, motifs within different subfamilies were varied, which might be attributable to the diverse biological functions of GRASs. As reported previously, GRAS proteins were randomly distributed in the phylogenetic tree (To et al, 2020;, and had similar functions when they were in the same subfamily (Liu and Wang, 2021).…”

Regions of Chromosome 2A of Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Associated with Variation in Physiological and Agronomical Traits under Contrasting Water Regimes

“…In the region 2, 66.2-68.3 cM, the gene TraesCS2A01G099900 is a homologue of the TF genes of the EIN3/EIL family, which plays a key role in the ethylene signaling pathway, and the GRAS family of the DELLA subfamily, which is involved in hormonal signaling pathways mediated by gibberellic, jasmonic, abscisic, salicylic acids and ethylene. Genome-wide analyzes of these families in T. aestivum showed that chromosome 2A carries two genes of EIN3/EIL family [45] and 10 genes of the GRAS family [46]. The gene TraesCS2A01G099400 can be considered as a candidate controlling the trait TGW.…”

Multifaceted roles of GRAS transcription factors in growth and stress responses in plants

“…(2017) Sorghum bicolour (Indian millet) Poaceae Monocot 81 13 Fan et al. (2021b) Triticum aestivum (wheat) Poaceae Monocot 188 12 Liu and Wang (2021) Vitis vinifera (grape vine) Vitaceae Eudicot 52 13 Grimplet et al. (2016) Zea mays (maize) Gramineae Monocot 86 08 Guo et al.…”