Identification and Analysis of Jasmonate Pathway Genes in (Robusta Coffee) by Approach.

BACKGROUND

is the commonly cultivated coffee species in the world along with . Different pests and pathogens affect the production and quality of the coffee. Jasmonic acid (JA) is a plant hormone which plays an important role in plants growth, development, and defense mechanisms, particularly against insect pests. The key enzymes involved in the production of JA are lipoxygenase, allene oxide synthase, allene oxide cyclase, and 12-oxo-phytodienoic reductase. There is no report on the genes involved in JA pathway in coffee plants.

OBJECTIVE

We made an attempt to identify and analyze the genes coding for these enzymes in .

MATERIALS AND METHODS

First, protein sequences of jasmonate pathway genes from model plant were identified in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database. These protein sequences were used to search the web-based database Coffee Genome Hub to identify homologous protein sequences in genome using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST).

RESULTS

Homologous protein sequences for key genes were identified in the genome database. Protein sequences of the top matches were in turn used to search in NCBI database using BLAST tool to confirm the identity of the selected proteins and to identify closely related genes in species. The protein sequences from database and the top matches in NCBI were aligned, and phylogenetic trees were constructed using MEGA6 software and identified the genetic distance of the respective genes. The study identified the four key genes of JA pathway in , confirming the conserved nature of the pathway in coffee. The study expected to be useful to further explore the defense mechanisms of coffee plants.

CONCLUSION

JA is a plant hormone that plays an important role in plant defense against insect pests. Genes coding for the 4 key enzymes involved in the production of JA viz., LOX, AOS, AOC, and OPR are identified in (robusta coffee) by bioinformatic approaches confirming the conserved nature of the pathway in coffee. The findings are useful to understand the defense mechanisms of and coffee breeding in the long run.

SUMMARY

JA is a plant hormone that plays an important role in plant defense against insect pests. Genes coding for the 4 key enzymes involved in the production of JA viz., LOX, AOS, AOC and OPR were identified and analyzed in (robusta coffee) by in silico approach. The study has confirmed the conserved nature of JA pathway in coffee; the findings are useful to further explore the defense mechanisms of coffee plants. : ; : ; JA: Jasmonic acid; CGH: Coffee Genome Hub; NCBI: National Centre for Biotechnology Information; BLAST: Basic Local Alignment Search Tool; : ; LOX: Lipoxygenase, AOS: Allene oxide synthase; AOC: Allene oxide cyclase; OPR: 12 oxo phytodienoic reductase.