Proteins containing the toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain are critical components of the plant immune system. However, the TIR gene family in wheat and its wild relative Thinopyrum species remains poorly characterized. In this study, we systematically identified the TIR genes in common wheat, Thinopyrum elongatum, Thinopyrum intermedium, and Thinopyrum ponticum by using genome and RNA-seq data, and further analyzed their evolutionary relationships and expression patterns. The results showed that TIR genes in common wheat, Th.elongatum, and Th.intermedium are highly conserved in both number and structure, with each subgenome containing four members (TIR1, TNP1, TNP2, and TNP3). In contrast, a significant expansion of TIR genes occurred in Th. ponticum, where 54 TIR genes were identified; the greatest expansion was observed in the TpTIR1 clade. Expression profiling showed that TNP1 genes are highly and constitutively expressed across various tissues, suggesting their involvement in plant growth and development. Conversely, TIR1 genes were barely expressed under infection of powdery mildew and stripe rust, but were strongly induced by Fusarium graminearum inoculation. Collectively, our findings reveal the constitution and evolutionary characteristics of TIR genes in wheat and Thinopyrum species, and provide a foundation for investigating the functional divergence of this gene family.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) synthesis in plants is primarily catalyzed by glutamate decarboxylase (GAD), a key enzyme in GABA metabolism that is involved in regulating reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and stress responses. In this study, genome-wide identification of the wheat TaGAD gene family members was performed, followed by analyses of their structural characteristics, miRNA targeting relationships, expression responses to exogenous hormones including IAA, MeJA, ABA, SA, and H₂O₂, as well as expression profiles of the GAD gene family induced by biological stress from stripe rust infection. The results showed that a total of 19 TaGAD genes were identified in the wheat genome, distributed across 7 chromosomes. Analysis of gene structure and conserved motifs revealed that most members of this family contained the Pyridoxal_deC conserved domain. miRNA target gene prediction suggested that the expression of TaGAD genes might be regulated at the translational level by miRNAs. Transcriptome analysis indicated that TaGAD9-3B, TaGAD11-3D, TaGAD4-2B, and TaGAD2-2A exhibited relatively high expression levels at different developmental stages and in various tissues of wheat, and their expression was significantly altered under drought and high-temperature stresses. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis demonstrated that the transcript levels of TaGAD genes varied under exogenous substance treatments and stripe rust infection. Among them, the expression of TaGAD4-2B was most significantly up-regulated by IAA induction, with an increase of more than 300 fold, while TaGAD7-3A showed the highest expression change (24 fold up-regulation) under SA induction. Upon infection by the stripe rust physiological race CYR32, the expression levels of TaGAD15-4A and TaGAD19-4D were up-regulated more prominently, reaching 13 fold and 12 fold increases respectively, which were significantly higher than those of other family members. Through systematic identification, characteristic analysis, expression profiling and quantitative detection of stress responses of the wheat TaGAD gene family, this study lays a foundation for further in-depth research on the functions of TaGAD family members in wheat.

Abstracts: To investigate the functional characteristics of low-temperature tolerance-related NAC transcription factors in wheat, a low-temperature-tolerant variety Mazhamai and a low-temperature-sensitive variety Jimai 22 were used for transcriptome sequencing, and 31 candidate NAC transcription factors potentially associated with low-temperature tolerance were screened. Bioinformatics analysis showed that 12 of the TaNAC proteins are basic proteins (pI>7), while the others are acidic proteins (pI<7). All proteins are hydrophilic and mainly localized in the nucleus. The secondary structure was dominated by random coils. Collinearity analysis revealed that there were extensive collinear relationships between NAC transcription factors in wheat and rice. Promoter analysis indicated that the promoter regions of these NAC transcription factor genes contained various cis-acting elements involved in stress responses and hormone signaling, among which TaNAC048-A1 harbored the most abundant regulatory elements. Under low-temperature stress, the expression levels of TaNAC048-D1,TaNAC048-A1,TaNAC015-B4,TaNAC039-D1,TaNAC104-D2,TaNAC048-B1,TaNAC001-B1, and TaNAC001-A1 were significantly up-regulated in Mazhamai. In Jimai 22, TaNAC048-D1, TaNAC039-D1, and TaNAC104-D2 were significantly up-regulated, while TaNAC048-B1 was significantly down-regulated, and the remaining four genes showed no significant changes. The transcriptome sequencing data were verified by qRTPCR. These TaNAC transcription factor genes may play important roles in the response of wheat to low-temperature stress.

To explore the potential function of diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) in the development of anther, the wheat photothermo-sensitive male sterile line BS366 was used as the material. Based on previous transcriptome sequencing results, TaDGAT (TraesCS1A02G125300) was screened and cloned from BS366. Bioinformatics analysis was employed to predict the structural and functional characteristics of the TaDGAT gene and its encoded protein. The results indicated that the gene has an open reading frame (ORF) of 1 542 bp, encoding 513 amino acids. Based on protein structure, the protein was predicted to be an O-acyltransferase. Multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that TaDGAT is most closely related to those in wheat and barley. Additionally, miRNAs, such as miR398 and miR169, were found to potentially interact with TaDGAT, participating in lipid metabolism processes and thereby regulating anther development. Protein-protein interaction predictions identified key interactions with O-acyltransferase and other critical proteins in lipid metabolism pathways. Subcellular localization prediction indicated that TaDGAT is located in the cell membrane and Golgi apparatus, where it participates in the formation of biological membranes. Expression pattern analysis showed that the expression of TaDGAT in different tissues, the level in anthers is low, while it is highly expressed under sterile conditions. This also suggested that the gene is closely related to pollen formation. This study provides certain references for elucidating the function of the DGAT gene in wheat.

To explore the photosynthetic characteristics and hybrid vigor of different two-line hybrid wheat combinations and their parental lines, this study utilized four wheat photo-thermal sensitive male sterile lines, four restoring lines, and the corresponding sixteen hybrid wheat combinations, along with a conventional wheat variety Zhongmai 175, as research materials. Under field planting conditions, we measured various photosynthetic parameters of wheat leaves, including net photosynthetic rate (P_n), transpiration rate (T_r), stomatal conductance (G_s), intercellular CO₂ concentration (C_i), and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters (F_v/F_m). We also investigated agronomic traits at maturity and analyzed the hybrid vigor and correlations between the photosynthetic characteristics and agronomic traits of hybrid wheat. The results indicated that there were significant differences in T_r and C_i among the male sterile lines, restoring lines, hybrid combinations, and the control, while differences in P_n, G_s, and F_v/F_m were not significant. The trends in photosynthetic characteristics of the male sterile lines and hybrid combinations were relatively similar from the booting stage to 20 days post-anthesis, with the highest values of P_n, T_r, G_s, and C_i observed at the heading stage for the male sterile lines, restoring lines, and hybrid combinations. The proportion of super-parental hybrid vigor combinations for photosynthetic characteristics ranged from 56.25% to 93.75%, with super-high parental vigor combinations ranging from 31.25% to 81.25%, and super-control vigor combinations from 12.50% to 93.75%, with T_r and G_s showing the most significant super-high parental and super-control advantages. For agronomic traits, the proportion of super-parental hybrid vigor combinations ranged from 50.00% to 100.00%; that of super-high parental vigor combinations and super-control vigor combinations ranged from 18.75% to 75.00%, and from 18.75% to 100.00%, respectively, with the spikes number per square meter and yield exhibiting the most significant super-high parental and super-control advantages. There was a highly significantly positive correlation between G_s and C_i in hybrid wheat, and a significantly positive correlation between P_n and G_s. Hybrid wheat showed a significantly negative correlation with T_r, G_s, and C_i of restoring lines, as well as a significantly negative correlation with T_r, G_s, and F_v/F_m of mid-parent values. Additionally, significantly positive correlations were found between ear length and flag leaf area, number of grains per ear and flag leaf area, number of grains per ear and ear length, yield, and thousand-grain weight. P_n, G_s, and C_i of hybrid wheat were significantly positively correlated with thousand-grain weight, while G_s and C_i were significantly positively correlated with yield; T_r was significantly positively correlated with flag leaf area, and F_v/F_m was significantly negatively correlated with ear length. These findings demonstrate that the photosynthetic characteristics and agronomic traits of two-line hybrid wheat exhibited significant hybrid vigor, and some photosynthetic parameters are positively correlated with yield traits, which can be used to guide the breeding of high-yielding and high-photosynthetic efficiency hybrid wheat combinations.

The Fusarium graminearum xylanase FGSG_03624 exerts dual functions during wheat infection: it disrupts cell wall integrity and induces cell necrosis to activate plant immune responses. To further clarify the molecular mechanism underlying FGSG_03624-triggered immunity, subcellular localization of FGSG_03624 was analyzed via bioinformatics prediction and transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. Yeast two-hybrid assay was performed using FGSG_03624 as the bait to screen interacting proteins from the wheat (Anong 1589) spike cDNA library constructed after F. graminearum infection. The protein-protein interactions were further verified by Y2H assay, luciferase complementation assay (LCA), and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assay (BiFC). The expression patterns of candidate interacting protein gene TaUSP-1A were analyzed by qRT-PCR, and the disease resistance of transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana was evaluated. Results indicated that FGSG_03624 is a secreted protein localized to the cell wall and/or intercellular spaces. Subsequent identification of its interacting proteins should be conducted the split-ubiquitin membrane yeast two-hybrid system. Using pBT3STE-FGSG_03624 as the bait vector, 40 potential FGSG_03624-interacting proteins were identified from the wheat cDNA library under the condition of adding 12 mmol·L^-1 3-AT. These proteins are involved in transcriptional regulation, signal transduction, stress response, membrane transport, and plant-pathogen interaction. Among them, wheat universal stress protein TaUSP-1A, associated with stress response, was confirmed to interact with FGSG_03624. TaUSP-1A expression was upregulated after F. graminearum infection, and its overexpression in Arabidopsis thaliana enhanced plant resistance to the pathogen. These findings indicate that FGSG_03624 may trigger wheat immune responses through interactions with host proteins such as TaUSP-1A.

Anthocyandins are the key bioactive components responsible for the purple/blue grains in wheat and play an important role in enhancing nutritional quality owing to their strong antioxidant activity. This review discusse the chemical characteristics and health-promoting effects of anthocyanins, comprehensively elaborates on the functions of key structural genes in the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway and the intricate regulatory network formed by transcription factors such as MYB, bHLH, and WD40. It summarizes the application of both conventional breeding techniques and genetic engineering technologies in breeding anthocyanin-enriched wheat varieties in China, and proposes a novel strategy of intelligent molecular design breeding that integrates genomic selection, multi-omics big data mining, and artificial intelligence (AI)-based predictive models. This review aims to provide a solid theoretical foundation and technical support for breeding new functional wheat varieties that synergistically combine high and stable yield with enhanced nutritional value.

To clarify the effects of drought stress during the growth period on lodging resistance and yield formation of drip-irrigated spring wheat, a split-plot experiment was conducted using a drought-insensitive cultivar Xinchun 6(XC6) and a drought-sensitive cultivar Xinchun 22(XC22) as the main plots, and drought stress treatments during the growth period as the subplots. Five treatments were established: normal irrigation (CK, 75%-80%FC, where FC represents field capacity), mild drought at the tillering and jointing stages (T1 and J1, 60%-65%FC), and moderate drought at the tillering and jointing stages (T2 and J2, 45%-50% FC). The morphological traits of five elongated internodes (I1, I2, I3, I4, and I5) and the anatomical structure of the second basal internode were analyzed to evaluate the regulatory effects of drought stress on lodging resistance and yield formation in drip-irrigated spring wheat. The results showed that J1 significantly improved lodging resistance-related traits in both cultivars (P<0.05). Compared with CK, stem diameter, wall thickness, stem filling degree, and breaking strength of the five elongated internodes increased by 1.89%-10.90%, 15.38%-56.41%, 47.84%-175.70%, and 18.98%-58.74%, respectively, under J1. For the second basal internode, the numbers of large and small vascular bundles increased by 28.00%-34.62% and 28.57%-38.10%, respectively; the areas of large and small vascular bundles increased by 92.88%-98.79% and 45.60%-74.89%, respectively; and mechanical tissue thickness increased by 45.56%-59.11%. Consequently, the lodging resistance index of each internode increased by 26.67%-75.00%. Wall thickness, stem filling degree, breaking strength, and lodging resistance index all decreased from I1 to I5. Compared with XC22, XC6 showed obvious advantages in morphological traits, vascular bundle traits, and mechanical tissue characteristics, resulting in 10.34%-80.00% higher lodging resistance index and more positive response to mild drought. Grain yield was highest under T1 for both cultivars, and XC6 yielded 5.74% more than XC22. Correlation and path analyses indicated that spike length and wall thickness of the I5 internode played greater roles in yield formation. For lodging resistance, breaking strength and wall thickness of the I1 internode had positive effects, whereas excessive length of the I2 internode was unfavorable. These results indicate that, in the oasis agricultural region of Xinjiang, mild drought at the jointing stage (J1) is beneficial for improving stem lodging resistance of drip-irrigated spring wheat, whereas mild drought at the tillering stage (T1) is more conducive to yield improvement.

To clarify the effects of planting density on yield formation in different spring wheat cultivars, a field experiment was conducted using three spring wheat cultivars, Liaochun 18, Liaochun 43, and Shenmai 155, under five planting densities of 3.75 million, 5.25 million, 6.75 million, 8.25 million, and 9.75 million plants·hm^-2, designated as D1, D2, D3, D4, and D5, respectively. The effects of planting density on grain yield and its components, SPAD value, dry matter accumulation and distribution, leaf area index (LAI), grain to leaf ratio, and photosynthetic characteristics were compared among cultivars. The results showed that planting density significantly affected grain yield and its components, with significant variety and planting density interaction effects. With the increase of planting density, the number of effective spikes per unit area of the three varieties spring wheat showed a significant increasing trend, while the number of grains per spike and 1 000-grain weight generally showed a decreasing trend, and the yield showed an initial increase and then a decrease. The yield of Liaochun 18 and Shenmai 155 reached the highest under the D4 treatment, which were 8 206.62 and 5 057.74 kg·hm^-2, respectively, the yield of Liaochun 43 reached the highest under the D2 treatment (7 191.61 kg·hm^-2). With the increase of planting density, the dry matter transport before flowering, the dry matter transport efficiency before flowering, the contribution rate of dry matter before flowering to grain yield, the dry matter accumulation after flowering, the contribution rate of dry matter after flowering to grain yield, and the SPAD value of flag leaves all showed a trend of increasing first and then decreasing, and all reached the maximum at D3 or D4 treatments. The LAI, grain number per leaf, grain weight per leaf, intercellular CO₂ concentration of flag leaves, net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate all showed an initial increase and then decrease trend with the increase of planting density. In conclusion, the optimum planting density was 8.25 million plants·hm^-2 for Liaochun 18 and Shenmai 155, and 5.25 million plants·hm^-2 for Liaochun 43.

To clarify the characteristics of soil nitrogen balance in wheat fields of lime concretion black soil under different optimized nitrogen reduction strategies, a two-season field experiment was conducted during 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 using wheat as the test crop. Six treatments were established, including no nitrogen application (NN), conventional nitrogen application (CN), 10% and 20% reductions in chemical nitrogen fertilizer (R1N and R2N), and substitution of 20% and 30% of chemical nitrogen fertilizer with organic manure (R2NM and R3NM). Wheat yield, apparent nitrogen use efficiency, and residual mineral nitrogen (N_min) in the 0-100 cm soil layers were analyzed, and soil nitrogen balance in the wheat field was systematically evaluated. The results showed that, compared with CN, grain yield under R1N did not differ significantly in either year, whereas yield under R2N decreased significantly by 8.36% in 2023-2024. Compared with CN, grain yields under R2NM and R3NM were not significantly different in 2022-2023, but increased significantly by 7.56% and 6.74% in 2023-2024, respectively. Apparent nitrogen use efficiency did not differ significantly between R1N or R2N and CN in either year, whereas it increased significantly under R2NM and R3NM, with increases of 8.8 and 7.0 percentage points in 2022-2023 and 11.7 and 9.1 percentage points in 2023-2024, respectively. In terms of residual soil N_min, no significant differences were observed between R1N or R2N and CN in either year, whereas R2NM and R3NM significantly increased N_min residue in the 0-20 cm soil layer in both years and in the 20-40 cm soil layer in 2023-2024. No significant differences were found among fertilized treatments except NN in the 40-100 cm soil layer. Based on the two-season soil nitrogen balance analysis, R2NM and R3NM significantly increased apparent nitrogen use efficiency by 10.2 and 8.0 percentage points, respectively, and significantly reduced apparent nitrogen loss rate by 15.9 and 15.1 percentage points compared with CN, respectively, but had no significant effect on apparent nitrogen residual rate. In this study, substituting 20% or 30% of chemical nitrogen fertilizer with organic manure can maintain or increase wheat yield, improve apparent nitrogen use efficiency, reduce apparent nitrogen loss rate, and thus contribute positively to maintaining and improving soil nitrogen balance in wheat fields of lime concretion black soil.