Identification and Expression of Early Nodulin in Sugarcane Transcriptome Revealed by in Silico Analysis

摘要

Nodulin genes have been defined as plant genes that are induced during nodule formation in legumes. Many studies, however, revealed a number of nodulins in non-legumes, including monocot plants, suggesting that these genes play additional roles besides nodulation. The presence and expression profile of the early nodulin genes (Annexin, DMI3, NIN, NORK, CCS52A, and ENOD8) was evaluated in the sugarcane transcriptome (237,954 ESTs) using in silico procedures. 129 sugarcane clusters were identified (out of 1,476 transcripts) and their expression profile was evaluated. Higher expression was observed in libraries of flowers, roots and normalized mix of tissues, confirming their multi-function character besides the plant-bacteria endophytic interaction in sugarcane. The multiple alignments revealed high homology among sugarcane sequences and respective proteins from other plants, mainly monocots, revealing a relatively conserved genetic structure among species, probably regarding ancient genetic processes.