The nucleotide-binding site (NBS)-leucine-rich repeat (LRR) gene family is crucially important for offering resistance to pathogens. To explore evolutionary conservation and variability of NBS-LRR genes across grass species, we identified 88, 107, 24, and 44 full-length NBS-LRR genes in sorghum, rice, maize, and Brachypodium, respectively. A comprehensive analysis was performed on classification, genome organization, evolution, expression, and regulation of these NBS-LRR genes using sorghum as a representative of grass species. In general, the full-length NBS-LRR genes are highly clustered and duplicated in sorghum genome mainly due to local duplications. NBS-LRR genes have basal expression levels and are highly potentially targeted by miRNA. The number of NBS-LRR genes in the four grass species is positively correlated with the gene clustering rate. The results provided a valuable genomic resource and insights for functional and evolutionary studies of NBS-LRR genes in grass species.
Keywords: NBS-LRR; disease resistance gene; evolution; grass species; local duplication.