Background: High-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GSs) have been considered as most important seed storage proteins for wheat flour quality. 1Ay subunits are of great interest because they are always silent in common wheat. The presence of expressed 1Ay subunits in diploid and tetraploid wheat genotypes makes it possible to investigate molecular information of active 1Ay genes. Results: We identified 1Ay subunits with different electrophoretic mobility from 141 accessions of diploid and tetraploid wheats, and obtained the complete ORFs and 5' flanking sequences of 1Ay genes including 6 active and 3 inactive ones. Furthermore, the 5' flanking sequences were characterized from 23 wild diploid species of Triticeae. All 6 active 1Ay possess a typical HMW-GS primary structure and some novel characteristics. The conserved cysteine residue within the repetitive domain of y-type subunits was replaced by phenylalanine residue in subunits of 1Ay (Tu-e1), 1Ay (Tu-e2), 1Ay (Ta-e2) and 1Ay (Td-e). Particularly, 1Ay (Ta-e3) has an unusual large molecular weight of 2202 bp and was one of the known largest y-type HMW-GSs. The translations of 1Ay (Tu-s), 1Ay (Ta-s) and 1Ay (Td-s) were disrupted by premature stop codons in their coding regions. The 5' flanking sequences of active and inactive 1Ay genes differ in a few base substitutions and insertions or deletions. The 85 bp deletions have been found in promoter regions of all 1Ay genes and the corresponding positions of 6 species from Aegilops and Hordeum. Conclusion: The possession of larger molecular weight and fewer conserved cysteine residues are unique structural features of 1Ay genes; it would be interested to express them in bread wheat and further to examine their impact to processing quality of wheat. The 1Ay genes from T. urartu are closer to the genes from T. turgidum dicoccon and T. aestivum, than those from T. monococcum aegilopoides. The 85 bp deletion and some variations in the 5'flanking region, have not interrupted expression of 1Ay genes, whereas the defects in the coding regions could be responsible to the silence of the 1Ay genes. Some mutational events in more distant distal promoter regions are also possible causes for the inactivation of 1Ay genes.

Climate changes disrupt environmental and soil conditions that affect ionic balance in plants, presenting significant challenges to their survival and productivity. Membrane transporters are crucial for maintaining ionic homeostasis and regulating the movement of substances across plasma and organellar membranes, particularly under abiotic stresses. Among these abiotic stress-responsive mechanisms, stomata are critical for regulating water loss and carbon dioxide uptake, reflecting a plant's ability to respond and adapt to abiotic stresses effectively. This review highlights the role of ion transporters, including both anion and cation transporters in plant abiotic stress responses. It explores the interplay between different ion channels and regulatory components that enable plants to withstand key abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, and heat. Moreover, we emphasized the contributions of three essential types of ion channels - potassium, anion, and calcium to abiotic stress-related stomatal regulation. These ion channels orchestrate complex signaling networks that allow plants to modulate stomatal behavior and maintain physiological balance under adverse conditions. This article provides valuable molecular and physiological insights into the mechanisms of ion transport and regulation for plants to adapt to environmental challenges. Thus, this review offers a useful foundation for developing innovative strategies to enhance crop resilience and performance in an era of increasingly unpredictable and harsh climates.

Fluorescence in situ hybridization karyotypes have been widely used for evolutionary analysis on chromosome organization and genetic/genomic diversity in the wheat alliance (tribe Triticeae of Poaceae). The karyotpic diversity of Aegilops umbellulata, Ae. markgrafii, Ae. comosa subsp. comosa and subsp. subventricosa, and Ae. uniaristata was evaluated by the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) probes oligo-pSc119.2 and pTa71 in combination with (AAC)₅, (ACT)₇, and (CTT)₁₂, respectively. Abundant intra- and interspecific genetic variation was discovered in Ae. umbellulata, Ae. markgrafii, and Ae. comosa, but not Ae. uniaristata. Chromosome 7 of Ae. umbellulata had more variants (six variants) than the other six U chromosomes (2–3 variants) as revealed by probes oligo-pSc119.2 and (AAC)₅. Intraspecific variation in Ae. markgrafii and Ae. comosa was revealed by oligo-pSc119.2 in combination with (ACT)₇ and (CTT)₁₂, respectively. At least five variants were found in every chromosome of Ae. markgrafii and Ae. comosa, and up to 18, 10, and 15 variants were identified for chromosomes 2 of Ae. markgrafii, 4 of Ae. comosa subsp. comosa, and 6 of Ae. comosa subsp. subventricosa. The six Ae. uniaristata accessions showed identical FISH signal patterns. A large number of intra-specific polymorphic FISH signals were observed between the homologous chromosomes of Ae. markgrafii and Ae. comosa, especially chromosomes 1, 2, 4, and 7 of Ae. markgrafii, chromosome 4 of Ae. comosa subsp. comosa, and chromosome 6 of Ae. comosa subsp. subventricosa. Twelve Ae. comosa and 24 Ae. markgrafii accessions showed heteromorphism between homologous chromosomes. Additionally, a translocation between the short arms of chromosomes 1 and 7 of Ae. comosa PI 551038 was identified. The FISH karyotypes can be used to clearly identify the chromosome variations of each chromosome in these Aegilops species and also provide valuable information for understanding the evolutionary relationships and structural genomic variation among Aegilops species.