|
Identification, Isolation and Characterization of Some Members of the Snakin/GASA Genes Family in Echinacea purpureae
|
Mahtab Zeynivand  , Ahmad Ismaili *  , Seyed Sajad Sohrabi , Nezam Armand |
| Department of Production Engineering and Plant Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, Lorestan University, Iran , ismaili.a@lu.ac.ir |
|
|
Abstract: (121 Views) |
The Snakin/GASA protein family is recognized for its involvement in key physiological processes in plants, including growth regulation, stress response, and antimicrobial defense. These peptides participate in diverse signaling pathways and are implicated in the modulation of gene expression and systemic resistance induction. In the present study, six members of the Snakin/GASA family were identified and characterized in Echinacea purpurea through comprehensive transcriptomic analysis and molecular validation. A de novo transcriptome assembly, derived from RNA-seq data collected across various tissues, yielded 27,679 transcripts. Among these, six genes designated Epu-Snakin1 through Epu-Snakin6 were confirmed through domain analysis and PCR amplification. The encoded proteins exhibited molecular weights below 12 kDa and isoelectric points ranging from 8.61 to 9.28. All six sequences contained N-terminal signal peptides, and five were predicted to harbor at least one transmembrane helix. Functional predictions indicated strong antimicrobial potential for all peptides, supported by multiple machine learning algorithms. Conserved motifs and multiple intra-molecular disulfide bonds were identified, suggesting a high degree of structural stability. Phylogenetic analysis placed the identified genes into three clades, aligning closely with homologs from related species such as Helianthus annuus. Expression profiling revealed both tissue-specific and constitutive expression patterns, with Group III genes broadly expressed and others showing restricted expression to floral or vegetative tissues. These findings provide the first detailed molecular insights into Snakin/GASA genes in E. purpurea and suggest their potential utility in pharmaceutical development and agricultural biotechnology. Further functional studies are recommended to evaluate their application in antimicrobial therapy and crop improvement. |
|
| Keywords: Antimicrobial peptides, Biotic and abiotic stresses, Echinacea purpureae |
|
|
|
|
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Molecular genetics
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Send email to the article author |
|
|
