Comprehensive Analysis of Glutamate Receptor-like Genes in Rice (Oryza sativa L.): Genome-Wide Identification, Characteristics, Evolution, Chromatin Accessibility, gcHap Diversity, Population Variation and Expression Analysis

Abstract

Glutamate receptors (GLR) are widely present in animals and plants, playing essential roles in regulating plant growth, development and stress response. At present, most studies of GLRs in plants are focused on Arabidopsis thaliana, while there have been few studies on rice. In this study, we identified 26 OsGLR genes in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Then, we analyzed the chromosomal location, physical and chemical properties, subcellular location, transmembrane (TM) helices, signal peptides, three-dimensional (3D) structure, cis-acting elements, evolution, chromatin accessibility, population variation, gene-coding sequence haplotype (gcHap) and gene expression under multiple abiotic stress and hormone treatments. The results showed that out of the 26 OsGLR genes, ten genes had the TM domain, signal peptides and similar 3D structures. Most OsGLRs exhibited high tissue specificity in expression under drought stress. In addition, several OsGLR genes were specifically responsive to certain hormones. The favorable gcHap of many OsGLR genes in modern varieties showed obvious differentiation between Xian/indica and Geng/japonica subspecies. This study, for the first time, comprehensively analyzes the OsGLR genes in rice, and provides an important reference for further research on their molecular function.