Liu Xin, Zhang Minghu, Su Jian, Wu Lei, Shen Mang, Zhuang Yamei, Wang Qi, Chen Gang
Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin, Sichuan, China.
Crop Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China.
Front Plant Sci. 2025 Aug 7;16:1635416. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1635416. eCollection 2025.
The NAC transcription factor family is pivotal in regulating plant development and stress responses, yet its diversity and evolutionary dynamics in barley () remain underexplored. In this study, we performed a comprehensive pan-genome analysis to identify and characterize the across 20 barley accessions. A ranging from 127 to 149 were identified in each genome, in which the Morex genome harbored the highest count. These were classified into 201 orthogroups, further stratified into core (102), soft-core (18), shell (25), and lineage-specific (56) categories. Phylogenetic analysis delineated them into 12 subfamilies, of which the core genes have undergone strong purifying selection, by contrast, the shell and lineage-specific genes were under relaxed selection constraint, suggesting functional diversification in barley. Genomic variation, such as PAVs and CNVs, largely driven by TEs, highlighted the dynamic nature of NAC loci. Furthermore, transcriptome profiling of the demonstrated diverse tissue expression patterns and different response characteristics under salt stress. These findings elucidate the evolutionary and functional dynamics of , offering valuable insights for genetic improvement of breeding programs in barley as well as in other crops.
NAC转录因子家族在调控植物发育和应激反应中起着关键作用，然而其在大麦（）中的多样性和进化动态仍未得到充分研究。在本研究中，我们进行了全面的泛基因组分析，以鉴定和表征20个大麦品种中的。每个基因组中鉴定出127至149个，其中Morex基因组中的数量最多。这些被分为201个直系同源组，进一步分为核心（102个）、软核心（18个）、外壳（25个）和谱系特异性（56个）类别。系统发育分析将它们分为12个亚家族，其中核心基因经历了强烈的纯化选择，相比之下，外壳和谱系特异性基因受到的选择约束较宽松，表明大麦中存在功能多样化。由转座元件驱动的基因组变异，如PAV和CNV，突出了NAC基因座的动态性质。此外，对的转录组分析显示了不同的组织表达模式和盐胁迫下的不同反应特征。这些发现阐明了的进化和功能动态，为大麦以及其他作物育种计划的遗传改良提供了有价值的见解。
