Identification and characterization of RuvBL DNA helicase genes for tolerance against abiotic stresses in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Abstract RuvBL helicase genes represent a conserved family of genes, which are known to be involved in providing tolerance against abiotic stresses like heat and drought in plants. We identified nine wheat RuvBL genes on nine different chromosomes, belonging to homoeologous groups 2, 3, and 4. Analysis of the structure and function of these genes revealed that the (i) length of genes ranged from 1647 to 2197 bp; (ii) genes exhibit synteny with corresponding genes in related species including Ae. tauschii, Z. mays, O. sativa, H. vulgare and B. distachyon; (iii) gene sequences were associated with cis-elements and transposable elements; (iv) the genes TaRuvBL1a-4A and TaRuvBL1a-4B also carried targets for a widely known miRNA, tae-miR164. Gene ontology revealed that these genes were closely associated with ATP-dependent formation of histone acetyltransferase complex. Analysis of the structure and function of RuvBL proteins revealed that (i) proteins were localized mainly in the cytoplasm; (ii) the protein encoded by the representative gene TaRuvBL1a-4A was shown to be involved in protein-protein interactions with ten other proteins; (iii) on the basis of phylogeny, RuvBL proteins were placed in two sub-divisions, namely RuvBL1 and RuvBL2, which were further classified into clusters and sub-clusters. In-silico expression analysis suggested that these genes were differentially expressed under heat/drought. The qRT-PCR analysis confirmed that expression of TaRuvBL genes differed among wheat cultivars with varying degrees of thermotolerance. This study advances our understanding of the biological role of wheat RuvBL genes and should help in planning future studies on RuvBL genes in wheat.