Zhao Guosen, Qin Shiao, Wei Zhimin, Bai Xingxuan, Guo Jia, Kang Zhensheng, Guo Jun
State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, Key Laboratory of Plant Protection Resources and Pest Management of Ministry of Education, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China.
Stress Biol. 2025 Apr 3;5(1):24. doi: 10.1007/s44154-025-00215-y.
Reverse genetics research in complex hexaploid wheat often encounters challenges in determining the priority of gene functional characterization. This study aims to systematically analyze the wheat (Triticum aestivum) receptor-like kinase (TaRLK) gene family and develop an effective strategy to identify key candidate genes for further investigation. We identified 3,424 TaRLKs using bioinformatics methods and analyzed the diverse and conserved evolutionary relationships of RLKs among Arabidopsis, rice and wheat. Based on publicly available and our laboratory's transcriptome data, we comprehensively analyzed the transcriptional expression patterns of TaRLKs in response to various stresses, particularly Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst). The TaCrRLK1L16, which is upregulated during Pst infection and triggered cell death in Nicotiana benthamiana, has been identified as a key candidate gene for further functional characterization. Furthermore, our results suggested that the transgenic wheat overexpressing TaCrRLK1L16 significantly enhanced resistance to Pst. This study will provide valuable insights into understanding the evolutionary characteristics and expression patterns of TaRLKs while offering a novel strategy for determining the priority of key candidate TaRLKs.
在复杂的六倍体小麦中进行反向遗传学研究时，在确定基因功能表征的优先级方面常常遇到挑战。本研究旨在系统分析小麦（普通小麦）受体样激酶（TaRLK）基因家族，并制定一种有效的策略来识别关键候选基因以供进一步研究。我们使用生物信息学方法鉴定了3424个TaRLK，并分析了拟南芥、水稻和小麦中RLK多样且保守的进化关系。基于公开可用的数据和我们实验室的转录组数据，我们全面分析了TaRLK在响应各种胁迫，特别是条锈菌（Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici，Pst）时的转录表达模式。已将在Pst感染期间上调并在本氏烟草中引发细胞死亡的TaCrRLK1L16鉴定为进一步功能表征的关键候选基因。此外，我们的结果表明，过表达TaCrRLK1L16的转基因小麦对Pst的抗性显著增强。本研究将为理解TaRLK的进化特征和表达模式提供有价值的见解，同时为确定关键候选TaRLK的优先级提供一种新策略。
