Antimicrobial peptides Snakin/GASA gene family in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor): Genome-wide identification and bioinformatics analyses

Abstract

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are important biomolecules in plant innate immunity and snakins (SNs) are one of them. In this study, SN genes were first identified in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor, Sb) genome and analyzed using bioinformatical approaches. A total of 12 SbSN genes were found and peptide chain lengths were between 93 and 137 amino acids. In addition, it was found that all SN proteins contained the GASA (PF02704) domain structure, conserved cysteine residues and were basic character. According to GO annotation data, SbSN proteins were found to be commonly associated with hormone response in biological processes. When the promoter regions were examined, it was found that there were 16 types of transcription factor binding sites, proving dynamic gene regulation. According to digital expression data, SbSN genes were found to exhibit various expression profiles depending on the six tissue types. According to co-expression data consisting of 573 genes, SbSN genes were found to be positively associated with protein kinase genes and showed direct connection with them. In terms of the predicted 3D structures and surface pockets, SbSN proteins were found to exhibit structural diversity. As a result, the findings will contribute to the understanding of SN proteins in plants, particularly in sorghum plant.