Background Members of the plant-specific SPL gene family (squamosa promoter-binding protein -like) contain the SBP conserved domain and are involved in the regulation of plant growth and development, including the development of plant flowers and plant epidermal hair, the plant stress response, and the synthesis of secondary metabolites. This family has been identified in various plants. However, there is no systematic analysis of the SPL gene family at the genome-wide level of wheat. Results In this study, 56 putative TaSPL genes were identified using the comparative genomics method; we renamed them TaSPL001 - TaSPL056 on their chromosomal distribution. According to the un-rooted neighbor joining phylogenetic tree, gene structure and motif analyses, the 56 TaSPL genes were divided into 8 subgroups. A total of 81 TaSPL gene pairs were designated as arising from duplication events and 64 interacting protein branches were identified as involve in the protein interaction network. The expression patterns of 21 randomly selected TaSPL genes in different tissues (roots, stems, leaves and inflorescence) and under 4 treatments (abscisic acid, gibberellin, drought and salt) were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Conclusions The wheat genome contains 56 TaSPL genes and those in same subfamily share similar gene structure and motifs. TaSPL gene expansion occurred through segmental duplication events. Combining the results of transcriptional and qRT-PCR analyses, most of these TaSPL genes were found to regulate inflorescence and spike development. Additionally, we found that 13 TaSPLs were upregulated by abscisic acid, indicating that TaSPL genes play a positive role in the abscisic acid-mediated pathway of the seedling stage. This study provides comprehensive information on the SPL gene family of wheat and lays a solid foundation for elucidating the biological functions of TaSPLs and improvement of wheat yield.

One RIL population derived from the cross between Dalibao and BYL8 was used to examine the phenotypes of kernel-related traits in four different environments. Six important kernel traits, kernel length (KL), kernel width (KW), kernel perimeter (Kp), kernel area (KA), kernel length/width ratio (KLW), and thousand-kernel weight (TKW) were evaluated in Yangling, Shaanxi Province, China (2016 and 2017), Nanyang, Henan Province, China (2017) and Suqian, Jiangsu Province, China (2017). A genetic linkage map was constructed using 205 SSR markers, and a total of 21 significant QTLs for KL, KW, KP, KA, KLW and TKW were located on 10 of the 21 wheat chromosomes, including 1A,

Background Heavy metal cadmium (Cd) is a common environmental pollutant in soils, which has an negative impacts on crop growth and development. At present, cadmium has become a major soil and water heavy metal pollutant, which not only causes permanent and irreversible health problems for humans, but also causes a significant reduction in crop yields. Results This study examined the chemical forms of Cd in the roots of two wheat varieties (M1019 and Xinong20) by continuous extraction and analyzed differences in distribution characteristics of Cd in the root cell wall, cytoplasm, and organelles by elemental content determination and subcellular separation. Furthermore, we conducted proteomics analysis of the roots of the two varieties under Cd pollution using mass spectrometry quantitative proteomics techniques. A total of 11,651 proteins were identified, of which 10,532 proteins contained quantitative information. In addition, the differentially expressed proteins in the two varieties were related to DNA replication and repair, protein metabolism, and the glutathione metabolism pathway. Conclusion The results of this study improve our understanding of the mechanism of plant responses to Cd stress.

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