ANALYSIS OF PUTATIVE EgBBM PROMOTER BINDING PROTEINS DURING OIL PALM SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS

BABY BOOM (BBM) gene has been identified as a crucial factor in regulating somatic embryogenesis in plants. During this process, high levels of BBM expression are observed. Nonetheless, the mechanisms regulating the expression of BBM during somatic embryogenesis in oil palm remain unclear. In this study, we cloned and examined the cis-regulatory elements of the EgBBM promoter. Our analysis revealed the presence of cis-regulatory elements, such as ABRE, as-1, G-box, Sp1, STRE, ARE, CAT-Box and MYB, which are similar to those found in the promoters of AtBBM and OsBBM1. In addition, we conducted a DNA-protein pull-down assay followed by mass spectrometry to identify the potential binding proteins of the EgBBM promoter. Several proteins were related to histone modification through direct and indirect interaction for controlling the EgBBM expression. Therefore, this study highlighted a complex regulatory network formation of histone modification and putative EgBBM binding proteins through both DNA-protein and protein-protein interactions. Our findings provide valuable insights into the factors that influence the role of EgBBM in oil palm tissue culture during somatic embryogenesis.