{
  "abstract": "Introduction: The CCT (CONSTANS, CO-LIKE, and TIMING OF CAB EXPRESSION 1) gene family regulates flowering time, circadian rhythm maintenance, and abiotic stress responses. However, previous investigations in wheat have relied on single-reference genomes, limiting the understanding of inter-varietal structural variation.\n\nMethods: Here, we performed a pan-genomic analysis of the CCT gene family across 16 wheat accessions.\n\nResults and Discussion: Copy numbers varied from 27 in diploid Triticum urartu to 69–103 in modern common wheat cultivars, with subgenomic contributions displaying an A > D > B gradient. Orthogroup classification based on the 12 T. aestivum cultivars identified 22 Core, 9 Softcore, 2 Dispensable, and 2 predicted Private orthogroups, all under strong purifying selection; the Private orthogroups require assembly-level validation because most cultivars used projected gene models. Protein-protein interaction network analysis identified a small set of highly connected nodes, with enrichment in circadian rhythm and photoperiodic flowering pathways, though this is largely expected given the query sequences; DeepGOPlus annotation further supported their roles as transcriptional regulators. Hexaploid wheat possessed longer mRNA lengths than tetraploids and diploids, but this may partly reflect annotation gaps. Promoter cis -elements were conserved across subgenomes, while paired analysis of homoeologous triads revealed significant expression divergence among subgenome copies. Tissue-specific profiling in Chinese Spring identified grain-preferential genes enriched for seed-specific elements, and stress treatments revealed candidate cis-elements, with WUN-motif and CGTCA-motif remaining significant after FDR correction. These findings provide a comprehensive view of CCT gene family evolution and regulatory diversification, offering candidate genes for stress tolerance and yield improvement in wheat.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Crop Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences/National Engineering Research Center of Wheat and Maize/State Key Laboratory of Wheat Improvement/Key Laboratory of Wheat Biology and Genetic Improvement in North Yellow & Huai River Valley/Shandong Provincial Technology Innovation Center for Wheat",
    "Shandong Luyan Seed Co., Ltd."
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 10,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Wenjie Zheng"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Peng Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Baiqiang Yan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Miao Wang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Xin Sun"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Ying Liu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Wei Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Chen Huang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Mingzhu Sun"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Zhengyong Cui"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/14neangxe2vce.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fpls.2026.1978297",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "14neangxe2vce",
  "issns": [
    "1664-462X"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1978297/full",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1110|Wheat and Barley Genetics and Pathology"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223650857",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-26",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/14neangxe2vce.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:25Z",
      "native_id": "10.3389/fpls.2026.1978297",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1978297/full"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:1110|Wheat and Barley Genetics and Pathology",
      "subfield": "plant-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Pan-genomic dissection of the CCT gene family in wheat reveals evolutionary dynamics and regulatory divergence",
  "title_text": "Pan-genomic dissection of the CCT gene family in wheat reveals evolutionary dynamics and regulatory divergence",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:19:25Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/14neangxe2vce",
  "venue": "Frontiers in Plant Science",
  "versions": []
}