Grain development, as a vital process in the crop’s life cycle, is crucial for determining crop quality and yield. However, the molecular basis and regulatory network of barley grain development is not well understood at present. Here, we investigated the transcriptional dynamics of barley grain development through RNA sequencing at four developmental phases, including early prestorage phase (3 days post anthesis (DPA)), late prestorage or transition phase (8 DPA), early storage phase (13 DPA), and levels off stages (18 DPA). Transcriptome profiling found that pronounced shifts occurred in the abundance of transcripts involved in both primary and secondary metabolism during grain development. The transcripts’ activity was decreased during maturation while the largest divergence was observed between the transitions from prestorage phase to storage phase, which coincided with the physiological changes. Furthermore, the transcription factors, hormone signal transduction-related as well as sugar-metabolism-related genes, were found to play a crucial role in barley grain development. Finally, 4771 RNA editing events were identified in these four development stages, and most of the RNA editing genes were preferentially expressed at the prestore stage rather than in the store stage, which was significantly enriched in “essential” genes and plant hormone signal transduction pathway. These results suggested that RNA editing might act as a ‘regulator’ to control grain development. This study systematically dissected the gene expression atlas of barley grain development through transcriptome analysis, which not only provided the potential targets for further functional studies, but also provided insights into the dynamics of gene regulation underlying grain development in barley and beyond.

β-Glucan is an important chemical found in cereals, tremendously beneficial to human health. In this study, β-glucan contents in wild and cultivated barley from representative regions worldwide were investigated. Results exhibited that coefficient of variation of β-glucan content of wild and cultivated barley was 24.18% and 13.99%, respectively. The β-glucan contents of studied wild barley accessions were ranged from 3.26% to 7.67% while cultivated barley varieties were ranged from 2.68% to 4.74%. A significant difference of β-glucan content (p ≤ 0.001) was found between wild and cultivated barely. Wild barley showed a higher β-glucan content and variation than cultivated barley. This study gives an idea about elite germplasms for genetic improvement and shed light to trace barley domestication in relation to grain metabolite view.

The Cellulose synthase-like (Csl) F family has been considered as one of the most crucial genes regulating β-glucan synthesis. It is a cereal cell wall component, holding advantages for human nutrition, but disadvantages in animal nutrition, malting and brewing industries. Based on a genome-wide search method, present study identified barley CslF gene family members by considering the importance of (1,3;1,4)-β-D-glucan and newly completed barley genome. A sum of Eighteen CslF genes were recognized in the barley genome.  Then, phylogenetic analyses classified them into 3 groups, that shared conserved motif compositions. A new motif, D,D,WQxxD was also found, which was responsible for the cellulose synthase. Furthermore, using RNA-seq data,  the HvCslFs expression profiles were systematically examined in different tissues and tissue-specific candidates were found. Lastly, interaction network analysis identified 11 CslF genes involved in the interaction network. All together, prsent task provides valuable evidence about the genomic organization and evolutionary relationship of the CslF gene family in barley, and facilitate the functional surveys of CslF genes in barley and beyond.