Abstract
The phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein (PEBP) gene family plays a vital role in various aspects of plant biology, including development, differentiation, metabolism, and signaling pathways. This study examined the genetic relations between PEBP genes in palms (oil palm, coconut, and date) using various techniques of sequence retrieval, alignment, phylogenetic tree construction, and protein structure modeling. A significant genetic resemblance was found between coconut and oil palm, surpassing the similarity observed between either of these species and date palm. Three primary groups of PEBP proteins were identified: FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT), TERMINAL FLOWER1 (TFL1), and MOTHER OF FT AND TFL1 (MFT). The FT group was further categorized into two subclades. Analysis of the FT protein structures in these subclades revealed significant similarities. A notable difference was observed in the absence of important amino acids in specific segments of the second subclade, making it more similar to the TFL group. Furthermore, mRNA sequence analysis within and between palm species indicated significant genetic similarities in the evolutionary trajectories of these organisms, suggesting the possibility of gene duplication in their ancestral genomes. In silico expression analysis revealed that gene expression patterns differed from those of RNA sequences, possibly because data were not collected at a specific time. This study provides significant insights into the genetic evolution and diversification of the palm PEBP family, highlighting a possible link between the regulatory mechanisms that govern the flowering processes, which may be beneficial for accelerating breeding programs.
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EDJS supervised; AP, TH, M, S, and EDJS conceptualized; AP conducted the experiments; AP, DS, and TH analyzed the data; AP, TH, WE, and KK composed the manuscript; and EDJS oversaw. This article was reviewed and authorized by all authors.
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Polosoro, A., Enggarini, W., Kusumanegara, K. et al. In silico study of phosphatidylethanolamine-binding proteins in oil palm, coconut, and date palm: evolutionary insights into genetic relations, sequence conservation, and functional implications. Genet Resour Crop Evol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-024-01960-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-024-01960-1