Fasciclin-like arabinogalactan protein (FLA), a class of highly glycosylated proteins, are widely involved in plant growth, development and stress responses, yet their functional mechanisms in wheat remain unclear. To investigate the members and biological roles of FLA in wheat, this study conducted genome-wide identification and systematic analysis of the wheat FLA family using bioinformatics approaches. The RNA-Seq and qRT-PCR were employed to examine the expression patterns of TaFLAs across tissues and under abiotic stresses, while haplotype analysis was performed to explore the association between candidate genes and kernel weight-related traits. A total of 71 TaFLAs were identified in wheat, distributed across 17 chromosomes and designated TaFLA1 to TaFLA71. Phylogenetic analysis classified these genes into eight subfamilies, with members within the same subfamily exhibiting conserved gene structures and motifs, suggesting functional similarity. Intraspecific synteny analysis revealed 85 segmental duplication pairs (30 interchromosomal and 55 intrachromosomal duplications), while interspecific synteny highlighted closer evolutionary relationships between TaFLAs and BdFLAs from Brachypodium distachyon. The RNA-Seq and qRT-PCR results demonstrated widespread expression of TaFLAs across tissues and under stress conditions. Notably, TaFLA15, TaFLA34 and TaFLA62 showed high expression in spikes and grains, while TaFLA5, TaFLA15, TaFLA34 and TaFLA62 were upregulated under PEG 6000 treatment; TaFLA5 and TaFLA34 were induced by NaCl stress. A SNP molecular marker developed for TaFLA62 revealed, combined association analysis and geographical-temporal distribution studies, that the TaFLA62-HapⅡ haplotype significantly enhances kernel weight and has undergone positive selection during wheat breeding. Overall, the gene structure of wheat TaFLAs is similar, and most of them can respond to adversity stress, and its TaFLA62-apⅡ haplotype can be used to improve wheat yield traits.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |