Bioinformatic analyses to uncover genes involved in trehalose metabolism in the polyploid sugarcane

Author(s)

de Oliveira, Lauana Pereira ; Navarro, Bruno Viana ; de Jesus Pereira, Joao Pedro ; Lopes, Adriana Rios ; Martins, Marina C. M. ; Riano-Pachon, Diego Mauricio ; Buckeridge, Marcos Silveira

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS; v. 12, n. 1, p. 16-pg., 2022-05-07.

Abstract

Trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P) is an intermediate of trehalose biosynthesis that plays an essential role in plant metabolism and development. Here, we comprehensively analyzed sequences from enzymes of trehalose metabolism in sugarcane, one of the main crops used for bioenergy production. We identified protein domains, phylogeny, and in silico expression levels for all classes of enzymes. However, post-translational modifications and residues involved in catalysis and substrate binding were analyzed only in trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (TPS) sequences. We retrieved 71 putative full-length TPS, 93 trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase (TPP), and 3 trehalase (TRE) of sugarcane, showing all their conserved domains, respectively. Putative TPS (Classes I and II) and TPP sugarcane sequences were categorized into well-known groups reported in the literature. We measured the expression levels of the sequences from one sugarcane leaf transcriptomic dataset. Furthermore, TPS Class I has specific N-glycosylation sites inserted in conserved motifs and carries catalytic and binding residues in its TPS domain. Some of these residues are mutated in TPS Class II members, which implies loss of enzyme activity. Our approach retrieved many homo(eo)logous sequences for genes involved in trehalose metabolism, paving the way to discover the role of T6P signaling in sugarcane. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/50884-5 - INCT 2014: National Institute of Science and Technology of Bioethanol
• Grantee: Marcos Silveira Buckeridge
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 18/03764-5 - How do sugar sensing and signaling pathways control growth and development in sugarcane?
• Grantee: Marina Câmara Mattos Martins Soldi
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral