Two wheat (Triticum aestivum) pathogenesis-related 10 (PR-10) transcripts with distinct patterns of abundance in different organs

PR-10 genes encode small, acidic, intracellular proteins that respond to abiotic and biotic stimuli. Transgenic expression of PR-10 genes has been shown to enhance early seedling growth of dicots in saline environments. To identify candidate PR-10 genes in cereals for increasing stress tolerance, we conducted phylogenetic analyses and real-time polymerase chain reaction of representatives of the two major clades of putative PR-10 genes in wheat. We observed that the abundance of BQ752893 was generally greater than the abundance of CV778999, particularly when measured in roots across four wheat genotypes. However, CV778999 transcripts were more abundant than BQ752893 in flag leaves. These data suggest that the transcripts define two functionally divergent groups of PR-10 type genes in wheat, both of which may be suitable targets for biotechnological manipulation under different circumstances.