Study of S-Like RNase expression in wheat and its wild relatives under drought stress

Functional genomics has provided new opportunities to understand the fundamental aspects of biotic and abiotic stresses in plants. In this study, a comparative analysis on EST libraries of wheat and its wild relatives conducted to discover novel genes and transcriptional factors involved in drought tolerance. EST analysis revealed a significant increase in expression level of S-lik RNase in drought condition. Further analysis by qPCR indicated over-expression of this gene in anther of tolerant cultivars. RNases participate in vital cellular functions such as DNA replication, transcription, splicing, and control of translation. T2 family RNases have been implicated in nutrition, phosphate remobilization, self-incompatibility, senescence, and defense against pathogens. This is the first report on the effect of S-lik RNase at drought stress response in wheat and significant up regulation of this gene in wheat wild relative ( Aegilops tauschii) and that emphasize on finding new effective genes from wild relative plants for stress tolerance.