Genome-wide identification and characterization of UBP gene family in wheat (Triticum aestivum 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 UBP genes in wheat (TaUBPs) are not identified, and the functions of TaUBPs are unknown. The present study identified 97 UBP genes in the whole genome of T. aestivum. These genes were divided into 15 groups and non-randomly distributed on chromosomes of T. aestivum. Analyses of evolutionary patterns revealed that TaUBPs mainly underwent purification selection. The studies of cis-acting regulatory elements indicated that they might be involved in response to hormones. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) results showed that TaUBPs were differentially expressed in different tissues. Besides, several TaUBPs 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 TaUBPs displayed differential expression after viral infection. Furthermore, TaUBP1A.1 (TraesCS1A02G432600.1) silenced by virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) facilitates Chinese wheat mosaic virus (CWMV) infection in wheat, indicating that TaUBP1A.1 may be involved in a defense mechanism against viruses. This study comprehensively analyzed the UBP gene family in wheat and provided a basis for further research of TaUBPs functions in wheat plant response to viral infection.