Genome-Wide Characterization Highlights Key Roles for Bread Wheat MLO Genes in Powdery Mildew and Abiotic Stresses.

ABSTRACT: Powdery mildew (PM) is one of the most devastating and widespread foliar diseases globally. Despite the critical need for developing a durable PM resistance, the number of cloned genes remains limited, along with a shortage of Mildew Locus O (MLO) resistance-conferring genes in wheat breeding programs. Here, utilizing the latest wheat reference genome data, we comprehensively identified and characterized 47 MLO genes through a genome-wide search approach. These genes are randomly distributed among 21 wheat chromosomes, harbor seven transmembrane domains, and are predicted to be primarily localized in the plasma membrane. Comparative phylogenetic analysis with model plants classified wheat MLOs into four clades (I-IV) harboring 6, 28, 6, and 7 genes, respectively. The phylogenetic grouping

SUBMITTER: Hussain B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12494513 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature