Investigation of the characteristics and expression changes of snakin gene family members in different stages of seed development in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

Antimicrobial peptides are a part of the innate immune system in plants. They are present in all tissues and a wide range of plant species, and their antimicrobial effect against plant and animal pathogens and cancer cells has been proven. Snakins are a group of low molecular weight cysteine-rich plant antimicrobial peptides involved in the defense against biotic and abiotic stresses, hormone pathways, and plant growth and development. In the present study, laboratory and bioinformatic methods were used to investigate the characteristics of the snakin gene family members and to evaluate their expression changes in four seed development stages (3, 8, 13, and 18 days after pollination) in barley plants. The results showed the presence of 11 snakin genes in the genome of barley. The protein sequences of the identified snakins contained the GASA functional domain. These snakins had a signal peptide and had extracellular accumulation. Due to their high abundance of hydrophobic amino acids, they were hydrophobic and produced complex secondary structures. Phylogenetic analysis was performed between barley, rice, and arabidopsis snakins as two monocot and dicot models, leading to three classes. Also, six disulfide bonds and antimicrobial properties were computationally confirmed in all identified proteins. Expression analysis showed different expression patterns for snakin gene family members in different stages of seed development and also exhibited different trends in each stage. The snakin genes can use to produce transgenic plants and to produce a new generation of natural antibiotic agents to protect humans, plants, and animals.