Wheat is frequently exposed to high temperature during anthesis and ripening period, which resulted in yield loss and detrimental end-use-quality. The transcriptome analysis of wheat under high temperature stress during the early stage of the grain filling period was undertaken. Three expression patterns of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) during grain filling period were identified. The DEGs of seed storage protein and starch-branching enzyme showed continuous increases in their expressions during high temperature stress, as well as during the recovery period. The activities of the enzymes responsible for the elimination of antioxidants were significantly affected by exposure to high temperature stress. Only the WAS-2 family genes showed increased transcription levels under high temperature stress in dehulled spikelets. The relative transcription levels for sub-genome specific WAS-2 genes suggested that WAS-2 genes reacted with over-expression under high temperature stress and decreased back to normal expression during recovery. We propose the role of WAS-2 as a protective mechanism during the stage of grain development under high temperature in spikelets.
