Genome-Wide Identification, Characterization, and Comparison of Family Genes in Salt Tolerance Between Barley and Rice.

Soil salinization constitutes a major constraint on global agricultural production, with marked divergence in salt adaptation strategies between salt-tolerant barley () and salt-sensitive rice (). This study systematically investigated the evolution and functional specialization of the C3HC4-type RING zinc finger gene family, known to mediate abiotic stress responses through E3 ubiquitin ligase activity, in these contrasting cereal species. Through comparative genomics, we identified 123 genes and 90 genes, phylogenetically classified into four conserved subgroups. Differences in genes in phylogenetic relationships, chromosomal distribution, gene structure, motif composition, gene duplication events, and -elements in the promoter region were observed between barley and rice. Moreover, in barley tissues preferentially adopted an energy-conserving strategy, which may be a key mechanism for barley's higher salt tolerance. Additionally, we found that genes were evolutionarily conserved in salt-tolerant species. The current results reveal striking differences in salt tolerance between barley and rice mediated by the gene family and offer valuable insight for potential genetic engineering applications in improving crop resilience to salinity stress.