AUTHOR=Tyagi Sandhya , Jha Shailendra Kumar , Kumar Anuj , Saripalli Gautam , Bhurta Ramesh , Hurali Deepak T. , Sathee Lekshmy , Mallick Niharika , Mir Reyazul Rouf , Chinnusamy Viswanathan , Vinod  

TITLE=Genome-wide characterization and identification of cyclophilin genes associated with leaf rust resistance in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Genetics

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2022.972474

DOI=10.3389/fgene.2022.972474

ISSN=1664-8021

ABSTRACT=<p>Cyclophilins (CYPs) are a group of highly conserved proteins involved in host-pathogen interactions in diverse plant species. However, the role of CYPs during disease resistance in wheat remains largely elusive. In the present study, the systematic genome-wide survey revealed a set of 81 <italic>TaCYP</italic> genes from three subfamilies (GI, GII, and GIII) distributed on all 21 wheat chromosomes. The gene structures of <italic>TaCY</italic>P members were found to be highly variable, with 1–14 exons/introns and 15 conserved motifs. A network of miRNA targets with <italic>TaCYPs</italic> demonstrated that <italic>TaCYPs</italic> were targeted by multiple miRNAs and vice versa. Expression profiling was done in leaf rust susceptible Chinese spring (CS) and the CS-<italic>Ae. Umbellulata</italic> derived resistant IL “Transfer (TR). Three homoeologous <italic>TaCYP</italic> genes (<italic>TaCYP</italic>24, <italic>TaCYP</italic>31, and <italic>TaCYP36</italic>) showed high expression and three homoeologous <italic>TaCYP</italic> genes (<italic>TaCYP44</italic>, <italic>TaCYP49</italic>, and <italic>TaCYP54</italic>) showed low expression in TR relative to Chinese Spring. Most of the other TaCYPs showed comparable expression changes (down- or upregulation) in both contrasting TR and CS. Expression of 16 <italic>TaCYP</italic>s showed significant association (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05) with superoxide radical and hydrogen peroxide abundance, suggesting the role of <italic>TaCYPs</italic> in downstream signaling processes during wheat-leaf rust interaction. The differentially expressing <italic>TaCYP</italic>s may be potential targets for future validation using transgenic (overexpression, RNAi or CRISPR-CAS) approaches and for the development of leaf rust-resistant wheat genotypes.</p>