Genome identification of the LRR-RLK gene family in maize (Zea mays) and expression analysis in response to Fusarium verticillioides infection

作者：Yiao Gao, Qing Qu, Ning Liu, Manli Sun, Xinfang Liu, Zhiyan Cao, Jingao Dong · 发表于：BMC Plant Biology · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1186/s12870-025-06495-w · 被引用次数：10 · 研究领域：Plant-Microbe Interactions and Immunity、Polysaccharides and Plant Cell Walls、Plant Pathogenic Bacteria Studies

BACKGROUND: Plant leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinases (LRR-RLKs) are a ubiquitous class of proteins in plants. These receptors are primarily responsible for recognizing pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and are crucial for regulating plant growth, development, and immune responses. Fusarium verticillioides, a significant maize pathogen, causes diseases such as ear rot and stalk rot. However, the expression patterns of LRR-RLK in maize following F. verticillioides infection remain unclear. RESULTS: A total of 205 maize LRR-RLK gene family members from 15 subfamilies were identified. The gene structures, physicochemical properties, and conserved motifs of these LRR-RLKs were thoroughly analyzed. Co-expression analysis of the LRR-RLK genes suggested that the gene family may have expanded through gene duplication, with relatively high co-expression observed in closely related species. To explore their expression patterns, we conducted comprehensive tissue expression profiling, revealing significant variation in expression levels across different tissues. Using transcriptome sequencing, we obtained the expression profiles of LRR-RLK genes at different time points after F. verticillioides infection in maize. The expression levels of these genes exhibited significant changes following inoculation. Notably, genes such as Zm00001d027645, Zm00001d032116, Zm00001d032244, Zm00001d030323, Zm00001d031427, Zm00001d030981, Zm00001d031201, Zm00001d032344, and Zm00001d032745...