Conservation and Divergence of () Gene Family between Wheat and Rice.

The () gene family affects plant architecture, panicle structure, and grain development, representing key genes for crop improvements. The objective of the present study is to utilize the well characterized s' functions in rice to facilitate the functional genomics of genes. To achieve these goals, we combined several approaches, including genome-wide analysis of s, comparative genomic analysis, expression profiling, and functional study of in rice. We established the orthologous relationships of 56 genes with the corresponding s, laying a foundation for the comparison of known functions between wheat and rice. Some s exhibited different spatial-temporal expression patterns when compared to their rice orthologs, thus implicating functional divergence. /// were identified to respond to different abiotic stresses through the combination of RNA-seq and qPCR expression analysis. Additionally, ectopic expression of in rice promotes heading dates, affects leaf and stem development, and leads to smaller panicles and decreased yields per panicle. In conclusion, our work provides useful information toward cataloging of the functions of s, emphasized the conservation and divergence between s and s, and identified the important genes for wheat improvement.