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Key genes in the phenylpropanoids biosynthesis pathway have different expression patterns under various abiotic stresses in the Iranian red and green cultivars of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)

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Abstract

Phenylpropanoids are a large and important family of plant secondary metabolites. The biosynthetic pathway of phenylpropanoids is induced in plants under environmental stresses to cope with these harmful conditions. In the present study, for the first time, we identified and characterized one reference gene (ACTIN) and three key biosynthetic genes (4CL, C4H and CVOMT) in the Iranian red and green cultivars of sweet basil. Also, the expression patterns of 4CL, C4H and CVOMT biosynthetic genes were determined for the first time in the Iranian red and green cultivars of sweet basil under cold, drought, heat, light and salt stresses. The results showed that the ACTIN, 4CL, C4H and CVOMT genes identified in the Iranian cultivars are identical to other cultivars in terms of all characteristics such as ORF length, protein sequence length, molecular weight, functional domains, lack of signal peptide, subcellular localization site, and secondary structures. Our results also revealed that the 4CL, C4H and CVOMT biosynthetic genes have different expression in the Iranian red and green cultivars of sweet basil under abiotic stresses and their expression patterns are cultivar dependent. The findings of this study can advance our knowledge of phenylpropanoids biosynthesis in plants under environmental stresses. These findings also can be used in plant breeding programs for stress tolerance in sweet basil and other plants.

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  1. Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Arak Branch, Islamic Azad University, Arak, Iran

    Mojgan Shahivand & Masoud Gomarian

  2. Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Khorramabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Khorramabad, Iran

    Reza Mir Drikvand

  3. Department of Agriculture, Kangavar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kangavar, Iran

    Kamran Samiei

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  1. Mojgan Shahivand
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Shahivand, M., Drikvand, R.M., Gomarian, M. et al. Key genes in the phenylpropanoids biosynthesis pathway have different expression patterns under various abiotic stresses in the Iranian red and green cultivars of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.). Plant Biotechnol Rep 15, 585–594 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11816-021-00697-y

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