Genome-wide identification and characterization of family genes in barley.

Fatty acid desaturases (FADs) play pivotal roles in determining plant stress tolerance. Barley is the most salt-tolerant cereal crop. In this study, we performed genome-wide identification and characterization analysis of the gene family in barley (). A total of 24 were identified and divided into four subfamilies based on their amino acid sequence similarity. unevenly distributed on six of seven barley chromosomes, and three clusters of mainly occurred on the chromosome 2, 3 and 6. Segmental duplication events were found to be a main cause for the gene family expansion. The same subfamily showed the relatively consistent exon-intron composition and conserved motifs of . Cis-element analysis in promoters indicated that the expression of may be subject to complex regulation, especially stress-responsive elements that may involve in saline-alkaline stress response. Combined transcriptomic data with quantitative experiments, at least five s highly expressed in roots under salt or alkali treatment, suggesting they may participate in saline or alkaline tolerance in barley. This study provides novel and valuable insights for underlying salt/alkali-tolerant mechanisms in barley.