Deletion of biosynthetic genes, specific SNP patterns and differences in transcript accumulation cause variation in hydroxynitrile glucoside content in barley cultivars

Barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.) produces five leucine-derived hydroxynitrile glucosides, potentially involved in alleviating pathogen and environmental stresses. These compounds include the cyanogenic glucoside epiheterodendrin. The biosynthetic genes are clustered. Total hydroxynitrile glucoside contents were previously shown to vary from zero to more than 10,000 nmoles g −1 in different barley lines. To elucidate the cause of this variation, the...