ERD8 — Triticum turgidum subsp. durum

Summary

TRITD5BV1G146740 (symbol ERD8) on durum wheat chromosome 5B encodes a heat shock protein 90 family member (Hsp90) with ATP-dependent protein folding chaperone activity, transcription regulator activity, and multiple binding functions including siRNA, miRNA, and preprotein binding. In durum wheat, ERD8 is associated with powdery mildew resistance. The gene is linked to diverse biological processes including cellular response to brassinosteroid stimulus, auxin metabolism, UV protection, chloroplast localization, cytosol-to-ER transport, and gene silencing by miRNA. It localizes to the ER lumen, chloroplast outer membrane, vesicle, and proteasome. Associations extend to traits including maturity time, reproductive growth time, starch grain synthesis, seed viability, photoperiod-sensitive flowering, and responses to aphids, downy mildew, and viral disease. Studies of related genes in other species connect the Hsp90 family to heat shock response, pathogen resistance, male fertility, and photoperiodic flowering time.