Transcriptome-based reconstruction of gibberellic acid biosynthetic pathway in coconut (Cocos nucifera L.)

Gibberellins are tetracyclic diterpenoid compounds which function as plant growth regulators and play an important role in many aspects of plant growth and development like stem elongation, seed germination and flower and fruit development. In the present study, we have carried out reconstruction ofGA biosynthetic pathway in coconut from the transcriptome data. Information about the reference genes involved in gibberellic acid biosynthesis was identified from KEGG pathway database. A total of seven such genes were identified in other model plants and corresponding sequences (gene/protein) were retrieved from Uniprot and NCBI-GenBank databases. Based on these reference protein models, we have annotated all the seven GA biosynthesis genes (37 transcripts) in coconut leaf transcriptome using standalone Blast program. These transcripts were subjected to Gene Ontology (GO) search. Based on the results of the comparative analysis, GA biosynthetic pathway in coconut was reconstructed. The results of the present study can be used for further validation and isolation of full-length genes involved in gibberellic acid biosynthetic pathway in coconut.