AUTHOR=Hu Ping , Song Puwen , Xu Jun , Wei Qichao , Tao Ye , Ren Yueming , Yu Yongang , Li Dongxiao , Hu Haiyan , Li Chengwei 

TITLE=Genome-Wide Analysis of Serine Hydroxymethyltransferase Genes in Triticeae Species Reveals That TaSHMT3A-1 Regulates Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in Wheat

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.847087

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2022.847087

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Serine hydroxymethyltransferase (<italic>SHMT</italic>) plays a pivotal role in cellular one-carbon, photorespiration pathways and it influences the resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the function of SHMT proteins in wheat remains largely unexplored. In the present study, <italic>SHMT</italic> genes in five <italic>Triticeae</italic> species, <italic>Oryza sativa</italic>, and four dicotyledon species were identified based on whole genome information. The origin history of the target gene was traced by micro-collinearity analysis. Gene expression patterns of <italic>TaSHMTs</italic> in different tissues, various biotic stresses, exogenous hormones, and two biotic stresses were determined by Quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The function of the selected <italic>TaSHMT3A-1</italic> was studied by barley stripe mosaic virus-induced gene silencing in common wheat Bainong207. A total of 64 <italic>SHMT</italic> members were identified and further classified into two main classes based on the structure of SHMT proteins. The gene structure and motif composition analyses revealed that <italic>SHMTs</italic> kept relatively conserved within the same subclasses. Interestingly, there was a gene, <italic>TdSHMT7B-1</italic>, on chromosome 7B of <italic>Triticum dicoccoides</italic>, but there was no <italic>SHMT</italic> gene on chromosome 7 of other analyzed <italic>Triticeae</italic> species; <italic>TdSHMT7B-1</italic> had fewer exons and conserved motifs than the genes in the same subclass, suggesting that the gene of <italic>TdSHMT7B-1</italic> has a notable evolutionary progress. The micro-collinearity relationship showed that no homologs of <italic>TaSHMT3A-1</italic> and its two neighboring genes were found in the collinearity region of <italic>Triticum urartu</italic>, and there were 27 genes inserted into the collinearity region of <italic>T</italic>. <italic>urartu</italic>. Furthermore, qRT-PCR results showed that <italic>TaSHMT3A-1</italic> was responsive to abiotic stresses (NaCl and cold), abscisic acid, methyl jasmonate, and hydrogen peroxide. Significantly, upon <italic>Fusarium graminearum</italic> infection, the expression of <italic>TaSHMT3A-1</italic> was highly upregulated in resistant cultivar Sumai3. More importantly, silencing of <italic>TaSHMT3A-1</italic> compromises Fusarium head blight resistance in common wheat Bainong207. Our new findings suggest that the <italic>TaSHMT3A-1</italic> gene in wheat plays an important role in resistance to Fusarium head blight. This provides a valuable reference for further study on the function of this gene family.</p>