Ming Li , Congbiao You

Tropical Microbial Resources Research Center, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China
Author    Correspondence author
Triticeae Genomics and Genetics, 2025, Vol. 16, No. 2   
Received: 25 Feb., 2025    Accepted: 02 Apr., 2025    Published: 18 Apr., 2025

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Fungal diseases pose a serious threat to barley yield and quality, and it is difficult to breed highly resistant varieties quickly using traditional methods. Antifungal proteins, as crucial components of a plant’s innate immune system, have multiple defense functions (like breaking down cell walls, damaging membranes, and inhibiting pathogens), offering a new strategy for improving crop disease resistance. This study describes the sources and functions of antifungal genes, analyzes transgenic barley materials expressing antifungal proteins, and systematically characterizes their molecular, biochemical, and biological functions. Gene expression levels and protein accumulation in the transgenic plants were examined using qRT-PCR and Western blot, and tissue-specific expression was investigated via immunolocalization. The study also summarizes three case studies: a chitinase-producing barley from Japan’s NARO institute, an antimicrobial peptide-expressing line developed by ICRISAT, and a BDAI-overexpressing line from the University of Copenhagen. These cases further demonstrate the feasibility and promising prospects of using antifungal protein genes in transgenic strategies. The findings provide important evidence that genetic engineering can enhance barley’s disease resistance, and they offer theoretical and practical guidance for breeding disease-resistant crops.

Barley; Antifungal protein; Chitinase; Disease resistance identification; Agronomic traits