Genome-wide identification and characterization of UBP gene family in wheat ( L.).

Ubiquitination is essential for plant growth and development. Deubiquitination cooperates with ubiquitination to regulate the ubiquitination levels of target proteins. The ubiquitin-specific protease (UBP) family is the largest group of deubiquitinases (DUBs), which perform extensive and significant roles in eukaryotic organisms. However, the genes in wheat () are not identified, and the functions of are unknown. The present study identified 97 genes in the whole genome of . . These genes were divided into 15 groups and non-randomly distributed on chromosomes of . . Analyses of evolutionary patterns revealed that mainly underwent purification selection. The studies of -acting regulatory elements indicated that they might be involved in response to hormones. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) results showed that were differentially expressed in different tissues. Besides, several were significantly up-regulated when plants were treated with salicylic acid (SA), implying that these DUBs may play a role in abiotic stress responses in plants and few displayed differential expression after viral infection. Furthermore, () silenced by virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) facilitates (CWMV) infection in wheat, indicating that may be involved in a defense mechanism against viruses. This study comprehensively analyzed the gene family in wheat and provided a basis for further research of functions in wheat plant response to viral infection.