Genes determining drought resistance of common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

The aim of the work is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of plant resistance to abiotic stress and the role of specific genes involved in determining drought resistance in plants, particularly bread wheat. The resistance of plants to abiotic and biotic environmental factors is associated with the activation of a complex phosphorylation/dephosphorylation cascade mediated by protein kinases and phosphatases. The result of this signaling cascade is the activation/repression of transcription factors that are able to regulate the expression of certain genes directly related to plant adaptation to abiotic stress. Transcription factors can be classified into 60 families based on similarities in the primary and/or three-dimensional structure of DNA binding domains, oligomerization patterns, and post-translational modifications, but the most studied to date are 8: AP2/ERF, MYB, bHLH, NAC, WRKY, bZIP, HSF and HDZip. This paper discusses the peculiarities of plant responses, particularly of bread wheat, to abiotic stress caused by drought. It separately discusses the regulation of transcription factor activity during abiotic stress, within the framework of the complex plant response to osmotic stress, which is shaped by multiple pathways. The combination of these pathways ensures the temporal and spatial patterns of gene expression, which play a significant role in the immediate adaptation of bread wheat to water deficit.