Thaumatin-like Proteins (TLPs) are known to play a vital role in plant defense, developmental processes and seed germination. We identified 19 TLP genes from the reference genome of barley and 37, 28 and 35 TLP genes from rice, Brachypodium and sorghum genomes, respectively. Comparative phylogenetic analysis classified the TLP family into nine groups. Localized gene duplications with diverse exon/intron structures contributed to the expansion of the TLP gene family in cereals. Most of the barley TLPs were localized on chromosome 5H. The spatiotemporal expression pattern of HvTLP genes indicated their predominant expression in the embryo, developing grains, root and shoot tissues. Differential expression of HvTLP14, HvTLP17 and HvTLP18 in the malting variety (Morex) over 16-96 h of grain germination revealed their possible role in malting. This study provides a description of the TLP gene family in barley and their possible involvement in seed germination and the malting process.
Keywords: barley; cereals; expression analysis; phylogenetics; thaumatin like-proteins.