MADS-box gene family members play multifarious roles in regulating the growth and development of crop plants and hold enormous promise for bolstering grain yield potential under changing global environments. Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a key stable food crop around the globe. Until now, the available information concerning MADS-box genes in the wheat genome has been insufficient. However, a comprehensive genome-wide analysis identified 300 high confidence MADS-box genes from the latest publicly available reference genome of wheat. Comparative phylogenetic analyses with Arabidopsis and rice MADS-box genes classified the wheat genes into 16 distinct subfamilies, without a single FLOWERING LOCUS C homolog present in the wheat genome. Gene duplications were mainly identified in subfamilies containing unbalanced homeologs, pointing towards a potential mechanism for gene family expansion. Moreover, a more recent evolutionary origin was inferred for M-type genes, as compared with MIKC-type genes, indicating their significance in understanding the evolutionary history of the wheat genome. We speculate that subfamily-specific distal telomeric duplications in unbalanced homeologs facilitate the rapid adaptation of wheat to changing environments. Furthermore, our in-silico expression data strongly proposed MADS-box genes as active guardians of plants against pathogen insurgency and harsh environmental conditions. In conclusion, we provide an entire complement of MADS-box genes identified in the wheat genome that will accelerate functional genomics efforts and possibly facilitate bridging gaps between genotype-to-phenotype relationships through fine-tuning of agronomically important traits.

中文翻译：

---

小麦基因组中的MADS-box基因丰富：系统发育组学，进化和胁迫相关功能

MADS-box基因家族成员在调节农作物的生长和发育中起着各种各样的作用，并且在不断变化的全球环境中具有增强谷物单产潜力的巨大希望。面包小麦（Triticum aestivum L.）是全球重要的稳定粮食作物。到目前为止，有关小麦基因组中MADS-box基因的可用信息还不够。但是，一项全面的全基因组分析从最新公开获得的小麦参考基因组中鉴定出300个高置信度MADS-box基因。用拟南芥和水稻MADS-box基因进行的比较系统发育分析将小麦基因分为16个不同的亚家族，而小麦基因组中没有一个FLOWERING LOCUS C同源物。基因重复主要在同源性不平衡的亚家族中发现，指出了基因家族扩展的潜在机制。此外，与MIKC型基因相比，推断出M型基因的最新进化起源，表明它们在理解小麦基因组进化史上的意义。我们推测，在不平衡的同源物中，亚家族特异的远端端粒重复有助于小麦快速适应变化的环境。此外，我们的计算机内表达数据强烈建议使用MADS-box基因作为植物抵御病原体叛乱和恶劣环境条件的积极守护者。结论，