MADS-box Transcription Factors in Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.): Molecular Cloning, Sequence Analysis, Comparison, Prediction of the Crucial Motifs and three Dimensional (3-D) Structures

Abstract

In terms of production and consumption rates, potato is the most significant vegetable crop in the world. It is a major contributor to the global food security. It is a significant source of nourishment and income for people of various communities. Agriculture is facing more and more difficulties due to global climate change. Potato plants are extremely susceptible to high temperatures. Tuberization is a key survival mechanism for potato plants. Understanding factors that regulate the process of tuber induction is critical for developing tuber yield and quality improvement methods. MADS-box genes encode transcription factors that play an important role in plant growth and development, particularly in floral organ determination. In eukaryotes, the MADS-box family of transcription factors has been extensively studied for their critical involvement in transcriptional control. A cDNA of potato MADS-box gene (POTM1-1) from superior cultivar has already been identified and described from an early tuber cDNA library, but very little research has been done using Indian potato cultivars. So, in this study Indian potato cultivar was used as a source to isolate and characterize MADS-box gene. RNA was isolated from various tissues of potato plant and RT-PCR was performed using the total RNA. Further molecular cloning was performed using total RNA from tuber only. The cDNA clones obtained were further characterized by restriction digestion and PCR. Then, sequencing of these cDNA was done. The sequence obtained, designated as POTM1-1A, was submitted to GenBank (Accession No. ON804239). This sequence was compared with other MADS-box genes of various plant species on both nucleotide and protein level. Sequence analysis and motif prediction was done using various bioinformatics tools. The 3-D protein structures of our predicted protein and some homologous sequences from other plant species were also predicted in order to understand the structural and functional relationship.