() Gene Family in Barley: Genome-Wide Exploration and Expression Analysis during Germination.

Thaumatin-like Proteins (TLPs) are known to play a vital role in plant defense, developmental processes and seed germination. We identified 19 genes from the reference genome of barley and 37, 28 and 35 genes from rice, and sorghum genomes, respectively. Comparative phylogenetic analysis classified the family into nine groups. Localized gene duplications with diverse exon/intron structures contributed to the expansion of the gene family in cereals. Most of the barley were localized on chromosome 5H. The spatiotemporal expression pattern of genes indicated their predominant expression in the embryo, developing grains, root and shoot tissues. Differential expression of , and in the malting variety (Morex) over 16-96 h of grain germination revealed their possible role in malting. This study provides a description of the gene family in barley and their possible involvement in seed germination and the malting process.