Genome-wide analysis of family-1 UDP glycosyltransferases (UGT) and identification of UGT genes for FHB resistance in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Abstract

BackgroundFusarium head blight (FHB), a devastating disease in wheat worldwide, results in yield loses and mycotoxin, such as deoxynivalenol (DON), accumulation in infected grains. DON also facilitates the pathogen colonization and spread of FHB symptoms during disease development. UDP-glycosyltransferase enzymes (UGTs) are known to contribute to detoxification and enhance FHB resistance by glycosylating DON into DON-3-glucoside (D3G) in wheat. However, a comprehensive investigation of wheat (Triticum aestivum) UGT genes is still lacking.ResultsIn this study, we carried out a genome-wide analysis of family-1 UDP glycosyltransferases in wheat based on the PSPG conserved box that resulted in the identification of 179 putative UGT genes. The identified genes were clustered into 16 major phylogenetic groups with a lack of phylogenetic group K. The UGT genes were invariably distributed among all the chromosomes of the 3 genomes. At least 10 intron insertion events were found in the UGT sequences, where intron 4 was observed as the most conserved intron. The expression analysis of the wheat UGT genes using both online microarray data and quantitative real-time PCR verification suggested the distinct role of UGT genes in different tissues and developmental stages. The expression of many UGT genes was up-regulated after Fusarium graminearum inoculation, and six of the genes were further verified by RT-qPCR.ConclusionWe identified 179 UGT genes from wheat using the available sequenced wheat genome. This study provides useful insight into the phylogenetic structure, distribution, and expression patterns of family-1 UDP glycosyltransferases in wheat. The results also offer a foundation for future work aimed at elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying the resistance to FHB and DON accumulation.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12870-018-1286-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Phylogenomic analysis of UDP‐dependent glycosyltransferases provides insights into the evolutionary landscape of glycosylation in plant metabolism

“…Besides the OG and the 17 groups (A–Q) reported in previous analyses (Caputi et al ., ; Stucky et al ., ; Wilson et al ., ), this study identified another UGT group, designated R, that included representatives from seed plants, but not free‐sporing plants (Figure ). The ‘group Q’ from the analysis of Zea mays UGTs (Li et al ., ), ‘group P’ (containing the UGT705 family) from the analysis of T. aestivum UGTs (He et al ., ), and five monocot‐specific UGT families (UGT98, UGT99, UGT702, UGT703 and UGT704) were found to be part of group D in this phylogenomic analysis (Figure ; Tables S1 and S2).…”

“…Similarly, two group Q UGTs in Musa acuminata (Zingiberales) share an ancestry with the other angiosperm group Q UGTs. However, their homologs are not found in Poales, including Ananas comosus (Bromeliaceae) and O. sativa (Poaceae; this analysis), as well as B. distachyon , S. bicolor , Z. mays and T. aestivum (previous reports), suggesting a loss of group Q UGTs in Poales (Figure ; Caputi et al ., ; Schweiger et al ., ; Li et al ., ; He et al ., ). Functional characterization of group Q UGT homologs from representatives of Malvales (e.g.…”

“…After the UGTs were organized into orthogroups, placement of the previously characterized and/or named UGTs was examined to determine the orthogroups that corresponded with the UGT families. The orthogroups were subsequently combined, when possible, to be consistent with the assignment of UGT phylogenetic groups in A. thaliana (A–N) as well as groups O and P (Ross et al ., ; Yonekura‐Sakakibara and Hanada, ; Caputi et al ., ; He et al ., ). There were 61 plant UGT families designated by the UGT Nomenclature Committee as of June 2019 (UGT71‐UGT99, UGT701‐UGT733, note that UGT730A1 is from the yeast Starmerella bombicola , not a plant; http://prime.vetmed.wsu.edu/resources/udp-glucuronsyltransferase-homepage).…”

“…The phylogenetic distribution of putative and functionally characterized UGTs has thus far been analyzed in a total of 27 plant genera with fully sequenced genomes, including one chlorophycean algae ( Chlamydomonas reinhardtii ), one bryophyte ( Physcomitrella patens ), one lycophyte ( Selaginella moellendorffii ) and 24 angiosperms (Li et al ., ; Yonekura‐Sakakibara and Hanada, ; Barvkar et al ., ; Caputi et al ., ; Schweiger et al ., ; Li et al ., ; Huang et al ., ; Wu et al ., ; Xu et al ., ; Yu et al ., ; He et al ., ; Rehman et al ., ; Cheng et al ., ; Song et al ., ; Sun et al ., ; Figure ; Table ). In the two analyses with the largest datasets, 12 and 16 genera were examined, respectively, and identified groups O and P UGTs that are absent in A. thaliana (Yonekura‐Sakakibara and Hanada, ; Caputi et al ., ).…”

“…A characteristic and relatively conserved 44‐amino acid plant secondary product glycosyltransferase (PSPG) motif has been found at the C‐terminus of plant UGTs, which interacts with the sugar donor. In the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana , 123 UGTs have been identified, which belong to 21 gene families, and are organized into 14 phylogenetic groups (A–N) and an outgroup (OG; Ross et al ., ; Stucky et al ., ; He et al ., ; Sun et al ., ; http://www.p450.kvl.dk/At_ugts/table.shtml). The well‐supported OG is formed by UGTs that modify sterols and lipids; these enzymes are divergent from the other plant UGTs and the PSPG motif is less conserved (Paquette et al ., ).…”