Identification of dominant housekeeping genes to normalize mRNA level in dioecious Palmyra palm

Suchilkumar Soorya, Thacheril Sukumaran Swapna, Senan Siju and Sabu Kalluvettankuzhy Krishnan Nair

Res. J. Biotech.; Vol. 19(1); 10-21; doi: https://doi.org/10.25303/1901rjbt01021; (2024)

Abstract
A stable housekeeping gene is required for precise and consistent qPCR data analysis. Palmyra palm is an important tropical dioecious tree crop with diverse uses. However, no reliable gene expression studies or housekeeping gene standardization have been documented, which limit crop improvement and utilization. In this work, four frequently used statistical tools such as RefFinder, NormFinder, Delta CT method and BestKeeper were applied to evaluate the constancy and fluctuation in expression of a chosen 10 internal control genes such as NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5-like (NAD5), β-actin, ACTIN CRD, alpha-tubulin, UBCE, EIF, EF2, AP1, GAPDH and UBQ2 in both vegetative and reproductive tissues of dioecious Palmyra palm. Six flower tissues and two leaf tissues from male and female palms were used in this study. The findings indicated that NAD5-2 is the most reliable and constant housekeeping gene expressed during Palmyra palm flower development. The AGAMOUS and SEEDSTICK genes expression pattern in the flower development were used to validate the normalized expression of the four housekeeping genes that were chosen in order to further support the stability of those genes. Our results will be useful for further research on gene transcription level in Palmyra palms and also the above mentioned tool is very useful for the normalization of housekeeping genes of biological samples with different experimental conditions.

A short review on the identification of ABCDE genes in monocot plants

Soorya S, Swapna TS, Sabu KK. 2022. A short review on the identification of ABCDE genes in monocot plants. Journal of Tropical Life Science 12(3): 423 – 433.

https://doi.org/10.11594/jtls.12.03.15

One of the most important divisions in the plant kingdom is the monocotyledon division of angiosperms. More than 60,000 monocot spp. have been identified, the majority of which are economically important, such as the Poaceae, Orchidaceae, Arecaceae, Liliaceae, and certain other families. The involvement of the ABCDE model of floral organ determination during flower development is a growing area of research in the field of molecular biology due to the diversity in the floral morphology of monocots. The MADS-box gene family is a large molecular transcript family that helps identifies specific proteins involved in floral development. It is classified into several classes based on its function. The review aimed to evaluate the significance of ABCDE genes for floral development and subsequent organ identification, which have been discovered in a range of monocot plants, as well as the functions of these genes in determining the sex of dioecious plants. We sought to summarise the MADS-box gene responsible for flower initiation and floral whorl differentiation reported in economically valuable monocotyledonous plants.

Genetic resources of Asian Palmyrah palm (Borassus flabellifer L.): A comprehensive review on diversity, characterization and utilization

Asian palmyrah palm (Borassus flabellifer L.) is a multipurpose, economically important tree widely distributed in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The multifaceted uses (~800 uses) of the tree as food, wood and medicine make it a viable industrial crop. However, the dioecious nature of the tree coupled with long juvenile phase (12–20 years to initiate flowering), long stature and considerable variations in the productivity of male and female trees necessitates the application of new biotechnological tools for crop improvement. This review provides comprehensive information on the extent of genetic diversity of the crop, problems associated with palmyrah cultivation along with its multifaceted application and research gaps to be addressed for the effective utilization and conservation of palmyrah palm genetic resources.

Siju S. and K. K. Sabu. 2021. Genetic resources of Asian Palmyrah palm (Borassus flabellifer L.): A comprehensive review on diversity, characterization and utilization. Plant Genetic Resources. Published online: 08 January 2021. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1479262120000477