A GENOME-WIDE ANALYSIS OF THE GALACTINOL SYNTHASE GENE FAMILY IN BANANA (Musa acuminata)

Abstract

Galactinol synthase (GolS) is the enzyme that catalyzes the first step of the biosynthesis of the raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs), and are involved in many biological processes in plants. In the present study, four putative GolS genes were identified in the Musa acuminata genome. We further characterized these MaGolS genes in terms of protein length, molecular weight, theoretical isoelectric point and 3D proteins structure. Genomic organization revealed that most MaGolS genes have four exons. The conserved motifs were identified, demonstrating high group-specificity of all MaGolS proteins. Multiple sequence alignment showed that the APSAA typical domain is present in all GolS proteins. Comparative phylogenetic analysis of the MaGolS proteins revealed three distinct groups. These data provides insight to support new studies adressing the role of GolS genes in this important fruit species.