biostudies-literatureUnknown6(4)Pei JBeijing Natural Science FoundationGrain color is a key agronomic trait that greatly determines food quality. The molecular and evolutionary mechanisms that underlie grain-color regulation are also important questions in evolutionary biology and crop breeding. Here, we confirm that both bHLH and MYB genes have played a critical role in the evolution of grain color in Triticeae. Blue grain is the ancestral trait in Triticeae, whereas white grain caused by bHLH or MYB dysfunctions is the derived trait. HvbHLH1 and HvMYB1 have been the targets of selection in barley, and dysfunctions caused by deletion(s), insertion(s), and/or point mutation(s) in the vast majority of Triticeae species are accompanied by a change from blue grain to white grain. Wheat with white grains exhibits high seed vigor under stress. Artificial co-expresPlant communications101265https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12010413biostudies-literatureSelection of dysfunctional alleles of bHLH1 and MYB1 has produced white grain in the tribe Triticeae.PMC12010413Li JMa LHu ZHe HPei JYe XWang KXiao QHeng YLiu ZChen ZCao YDeng XWWang ZfalseSelection of dysfunctional alleles of bHLH1 and MYB1 has produced white grain in the tribe Triticeae.Grain color is a key agronomic trait that greatly determines food quality. The molecular and evolutionary mechanisms that underlie grain-color regulation are also important questions in evolutionary biology and crop breeding. Here, we confirm that both bHLH and MYB genes have played a critical role in the evolution of grain color in Triticeae. Blue grain is the ancestral trait in Triticeae, whereas white grain caused by bHLH or MYB dysfunctions is the derived trait. HvbHLH1 and HvMYB1 have been the targets of selection in barley, and dysfunctions caused by deletion(s), insertion(s), and/or point mutation(s) in the vast majority of Triticeae species are accompanied by a change from blue grain to white grain. Wheat with white grains exhibits high seed vigor under stress. Artificial co-expres2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 Apr2026-06-03T04:52:46.726Z2025-07-03T03:05:26.13ZS-EPMC120104133989351610.1016/j.xplc.2025.101265