Genome-Wide Analysis of NBS-LRR Genes in Sorghum Genome Revealed Several Events Contributing to NBS-LRR Gene Evolution in Grass Species

• Main Authors: Xiping Yang, Jianping Wang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publishing 2016-01-01
• Series: Evolutionary Bioinformatics
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.4137/EBO.S36433

The nucleotide-binding site (NBS)–leucine-rich repeat (LRR) gene family is crucially important for offering resistance to pathogens. To explore evolutionary conservation and variability of NBS-LRR genes across grass species, we identified 88, 107, 24, and 44 full-length NBS-LRR genes in sorghum, rice, maize, and Brachypodium , respectively. A comprehensive analysis was performed on classification, genome organization, evolution, expression, and regulation of these NBS-LRR genes using sorghum as a representative of grass species. In general, the full-length NBS-LRR genes are highly clustered and duplicated in sorghum genome mainly due to local duplications. NBS-LRR genes have basal expression levels and are highly potentially targeted by miRNA. The number of NBS-LRR genes in the four grass species is positively correlated with the gene clustering rate. The results provided a valuable genomic resource and insights for functional and evolutionary studies of NBS-LRR genes in grass species.