Abstract
Lycopene cyclases (LCYs) are a key branching point in regulating the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway in plants. Bixa orellana L. is characterized by the presence in its seed of bixin, an apocarotenoid of significant importance in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Gene analysis provides the opportunity to investigate the LCY gene structure in plant species and its relationship with the synthesis of carotenoids. Coding sequences of the LCY genes were retrieved from a B. orellana genome DNA. Boβ-LCY1 and Boβ-LCY2 genes exhibit 100% of identity to their respective cDNA accessions, and exhibit a single coding region of 1512 bp (504 aa) and 1495 bp (498 aa), respectively. In contrast, Boε-LCY gene shows a coding region of 1581 bp (527 aa) with 10 introns of diverse lengths. Putative Transcription Factors (TFs) binding sites were upstream (3000 bp) identified for each LCY gene. TFs cover two groups, one with the categories of photosynthesis, reproduction, and oxidative processes that are frequent. The second one with the categories of defense, cell cycle, signaling, and carbohydrate metabolism, which are poorly represented. Besides, repetitive DNA elements showed motifs and proteins related to LTR from the Ty3/Gypsy family, were associated with the TFs regions. In general, TFs vary in the different BoLCY genes, being more abundant in the Boε-LCY gene. LCY expression analyzed from a transcriptome database, and validated by RT-qPCR, shows an upregulation of the three LCYs, mainly oriented to the synthesis of essential carotenoids in photosynthetic tissues (leaves), as well as an upregulation of the Boβ-LCY2 gene in the non-photosynthetic tissues (firsts seed development stages) related to the bixin accumulation.
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We thank the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT) (Fronteras de la Ciencia No. 2016-01-1716) for financial support. Ph.D. JG RM was financially supported by a Ph.D. scholarship CONACYT (No. 2020-000013-01NACF-09404).
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RR-M, JN-Z, and RM-G contributed to the conception and design of the study. JN-Z and RM-G carried out the bioinformatics analyses. RM-G and JN-Z carried out the data analysis. MA-E collected and processed the vegetal material. VC-U conducted the RT-qPCR analysis. RR-M obtained the funds. RR-M and JN-Z conceived, 3 designed, and supervised. All auAll authors contributed to the article and approved the thors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.submitted version.
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Rivero-Manzanilla, G., Narváez-Zapata, J.A., Aguilar-Espinosa, M. et al. Gene structure and potential regulation of the lycopene cyclase genes in Bixa orellana L.. Physiol Mol Biol Plants 29, 1423–1435 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-023-01384-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-023-01384-8