Comprehensive Comparative Analysis of the <i>JAZ</i> Gene Family in Common Wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i>) and Its D-Subgenome Donor <i>Aegilops tauschii</i>
Zhiwen Zhai,
Yuqing Che,
Shuaifeng Geng,
Shaoshuai Liu,
Shuqin Zhang,
Dada Cui,
Zhongyin Deng,
Mingxue Fu,
Yang Li,
Xinyu Zou,
Jun Liu,
Aili Li,
Long Mao
Affiliations
Zhiwen Zhai
National Key Facility for Crop Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Yuqing Che
National Key Facility for Crop Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Shuaifeng Geng
National Key Facility for Crop Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Shaoshuai Liu
National Key Facility for Crop Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Shuqin Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, Department of Plant Genetics and Breeding, National Center for Evaluation of Agricultural Wild Plants (Rice), China Agricultural University, Beijing 100094, China
Dada Cui
National Key Facility for Crop Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Zhongyin Deng
National Key Facility for Crop Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Mingxue Fu
National Key Facility for Crop Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Yang Li
National Key Facility for Crop Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Xinyu Zou
National Key Facility for Crop Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Jun Liu
National Key Facility for Crop Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Aili Li
National Key Facility for Crop Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Long Mao
National Key Facility for Crop Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
JASMONATE-ZIM DOMAIN (JAZ) repressor proteins work as co-receptors in the jasmonic acid (JA) signalling pathway and are essential for plant development and environmental adaptation. Despite wheat being one of the main staple food crops, until recently, comprehensive analysis of its JAZ gene family has been limited due to the lack of complete and high-quality reference genomes. Here, using the latest reference genome, we identified 17 JAZ genes in the wheat D-genome donor Aegilops tauschii. Then, 54 TaJAZs were identified in common wheat. A systematic examination of the gene structures, conserved protein domains, and phylogenetic relationships of this gene family was performed. Five new JAZ genes were identified as being derived from tandem duplication after wheat divergence from other species. We integrated RNA-seq data and yield QTL information and found that tandemly duplicated TaJAZ genes were prone to association with spike-related traits. Moreover, 12 TaJAZ genes were located within breeding selection sweeps, including 9 tandemly duplicated ones. Haplotype variation analysis of selected JAZ genes showed significant association of TaJAZ7A and TaJAZ13A with thousand-grain weight. Our work provides a clearer picture of wheat JAZ gene evolution and puts forward the possibility of using these genes for wheat yield improvement.
