Abstract
Starch metabolism is known to be an important pathway in the growth and development of plants. This study was conducted to investigate the genome-wide identification and structural analysis of genes encoding uridine diphosphate glucose pyrophosphorylase (UGPase), a key enzyme in starch synthesis in cassava, and to analyze the expression profiles of these genes based on publicly available RNA-seq data. A total of 11 members were found in the UGPase gene family (MeUGP) in cassava. Ten of the MeUGP genes were successfully mapped onto the chromosomes of the current cassava genome assembly. Based on their nucleotide sequences, the lengths of the genomic DNA sequences of the MeUGP genes ranged from 3,200 to 11,601bp, while the size of the coding sequence (CDS) varied from 831 to 3,654bp. According to the recent RNA-seq data, we found that a majority of the MeUGP genes were expressed in at least 1 tissue under normal conditions. Interestingly, MeUGP4 was greatly expressed in the shoot apical meristem, while MeUGP10 was more specific in the root apical meristem. The expression profiles of these MeUGP genes should be carried out in various conditions in further studies.
Highlights
Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is considered to be a major multifunctional crop in Vietnam
The basic pathway of starch metabolism begins with CO2 fixation, followed by transitory starch degradations, sucrose synthesis, and starch synthesis in the storage organs in the plant (Saithong et al, 2013)
Out of the 11 members of the MeUGP family, 10 genes were mapped onto 6 chromosomes of the cassava genome with different rates of distribution
Summary
Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is considered to be a major multifunctional crop in Vietnam. Starch, a major storage form of glucose, is considered to serve as an important resource in providing energy for various biological processes during the growth and development of cassava plants (Li et al, 2016). A number of enzymes involved in starch metabolism in tuber crops have been found (Van Harsselaar et al, 2017). UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (UGPase) is a core enzyme that was clearly determined to have an important role in starch regulation in the tuber (Van Harsselaar et al, 2017). This study was conducted to investigate the genome-wide identification and structural analysis of genes encoding UGPase, a key enzyme in starch synthesis in cassava, and to analyze the expression of these genes based on the publicly available RNA-Seq data
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
