Impact of Global Warming and Environmental Stress Conditions on Proteins in Triticum aestivum L.: A Computational Analysis

Abstract

Crop yield of Triticum aestivum L. (wheat), the leading cereal crop of India, deteriorates under environmental stress conditions of heat,
drought, and associated stresses due to the expression of specific proteins. In the current study, we explored the structural and functional
aspects of these stress proteins by establishing the 3D structure through homology modeling for the first time. Our results revealed the
specific proteins get expressed under each stress, and most of their activity was regulated by their interactions, catalyzing their structural
modification and complex formation. When analyzed with respect to each other, all these proteins provided common features which
affect them at a particular time under a specific stress. The phylogenetic relationships offer insight into the differentiation process of
proteins from each other during evolutionary processes and their respective structures during evolution. The present findings help in
developing stress-tolerant varieties for crop improvement and increased production.