Molecular Characterization, Evolutionary Analysis, and Expression Profiling of Genes in Important Cereals.

Boron (B) is an essential micronutrient of plants. Plants grapple with a narrow range of B between its toxicity and deficiency. B homeostasis mechanism is required to rescue plants from such a quagmire. B transporters are specialized proteins involved in the homeostasis of B. In the present study, a total of 29 genes were identified in five major cereals, including three in each and , four in , six in , and 13 in . Multiple sequence alignments, domain structure analyses, and phylogenetic analysis indicated the conserved nature of the BOR protein family. Duplication events and Ka/Ks analysis of showed the role of segmental duplication events and purifying selection in the expansion of the BOR family in . Furthermore, in silico expression and co-expression analyses under biotic and abiotic stress conditions depicted their involvement in combating such conditions. Moreover, qRT-PCR of in B treatment suggested the roles of genes in B stress management. The present study hints at the conserved nature of BOR proteins and their different aspects. The study will lay down a way for several crop improvement programs.