Resumen:
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.
