Contribuição da família preniltransferase na aquisição de tolerância a estresses abióticos em Ricinus communis: caracterização in sílico, aspectos evolutivos e expressão gênica

Abstract

Ricinus communis L. (castor bean) is a plant with high potential for oil production, widely used in the ricinoleic industry. In Brazil, the Northeast region has the largest cultivation area for this plant, where adverse environmental conditions such as salinity, high temperatures, and drought pose significant challenges to production. Considering the economic and industrial importance of this crop, it is essential to develop strategies to ensure its cultivation under challenging environments. The prenyltransferase (PT) gene family plays a crucial role in encoding enzymes that catalyze the formation of terpenoid skeletons from the intermediates dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP) and isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and transfer prenyl groups to other molecules. These terpenoids generate a wide range of primary and secondary metabolites that are vital for plant responses to environmental stresses. The present study aimed to conduct an in silico analysis of the prenyltransferase protein and gene family in R. communis using bioinformatics tools, seeking to correlate this family with responses to environmental stresses through gene expression, as well as to investigate evolutionary aspects. Similarity searches in the R. communis genome were performed to identify PT proteins, in addition to phylogenetic analyses, subcellular localization predictions, conserved domain and motif identification, gene promoter region analyses, chromosomal mapping, and microarray analyses. A total of 36 PT candidate sequences were identified in R. communis, classified into five distinct subgroups: UbiA, terpene cyclases, prenyltransferase proteins, trans-prenyltransferases, and cis-prenyltransferases. Additionally, conserved domains were identified, such as Z-polyprenyl synthase, polyprenyl synthetase, prenyltransferase subunit alpha repeat, terpene cyclases, squalene-hopene cyclase N-terminal domain, squalene-hopene cyclase C-terminal domain, and the UbiA prenyltransferase superfamily, all associated with prenyltransferases. Cis-prenyltransferases were identified as the oldest PT group. Some proteins showed differential gene expression in response to thermal and saline stresses at different developmental stages.The results of this study provide a deeper understanding of PT proteins in R. communis, establishing a foundation for future research on this gene family in the species.