Transcriptome-wide identification and characterization of the Rab GTPase family in mango

Lawson, Tamunonengiyeofori; Lycett, Grantley W.; Mayes, Sean; Ho, Wai Kuan; Chin, Chiew Foan

Abstract

© 2020, Springer Nature B.V. The Rab GTPase family plays a vital role in several plant physiological processes including fruit ripening. Fruit softening during ripening involves trafficking of cell wall polymers and enzymes between cellular compartments. Mango, an economically important fruit crop, is known for its delicious taste, exotic flavour and nutritional value. So far, there is a paucity of information on the mango Rab GTPase family. In this study, 23 genes encoding Rab proteins were identified in mango by a comprehensive in silico approach. Sequence alignment and similarity tree analysis with the model plant Arabidopsis as a reference enabled the bona fide assignment of the deduced mango proteins to classify into eight subfamilies. Expression analysis by RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) showed that the Rab genes were differentially expressed in ripe and unripe mangoes suggesting the involvement of vesicle trafficking during ripening. Interaction analysis showed that the proteins involved in vesicle trafficking and cell wall softening were interconnected providing further evidence of the involvement of the Rab GTPases in fruit softening. Correlation analyses showed a significant relationship between the expression level of the RabA3 and RabA4 genes and fruit firmness at the unripe stage of the mango varieties suggesting that the differences in gene expression level might be associated with the contrasting firmness of these varieties. This study will not only provide new insights into the complexity of the ripening-regulated molecular mechanism but also facilitate the identification of potential Rab GTPases to address excessive fruit softening.

Citation

Lawson, T., Lycett, G. W., Mayes, S., Ho, W. K., & Chin, C. F. (2020). Transcriptome-wide identification and characterization of the Rab GTPase family in mango. Molecular Biology Reports, 47, 4183–4197. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-020-05519-y

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 14, 2020
• Online Publication Date: May 22, 2020
• Publication Date: 2020-06
• Deposit Date: May 25, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: May 23, 2021
• Journal: Molecular Biology Reports
• Print ISSN: 0301-4851
• Electronic ISSN: 1573-4978
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 47
• Pages: 4183–4197
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-020-05519-y
• Keywords: Fruit ripening, Gene expression, Mango, Rab GTPase, Vesicle trafficking
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4508106
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11033-020-05519-y
• Additional Information: Received: 6 March 2020; Accepted: 14 May 2020; First Online: 22 May 2020; : ; : The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.