In silico characterization of Thinopyrum elongatum-derived PsyE1 gene and validation in 7D/7E bread wheat introgression lines open avenues for carotenoid biofortification in wheat

Abstract

Current global scenario demands agricultural productivity of food grains to be kept at abreast with burgeoning population. Cereals constitute major food stuff for millennia and biofortification of new cereal varieties provides an opportunity to tackle global-scale malnutrition deficiencies without doing major shifts in the diets. Carotenoid biofortification in wheat grains has recently caught the attention of breeders owing to a myriad of health benefits offered by this micronutrient. Thinopyrum elongatum-derived PsyE1 gene encoding for Phytoene Synthase encoding Y gene, is a jackpot to enhance the carotenoid content in wheat. The present study is the first report deciphering detailed in silico characterization of Thinopyrum elongatum-derived PsyE1 gene and its protein. Promoter analysis of chloroplast localized PsyE1 gene provides clues about its possible role in stress resistance along with enhancing the carotenoid content in both durum and bread wheat. Homology, phylogeny and protein modelling studies of PsyE1 revealed its closer evolutionary relationship with barley and wheat, as well as provided a preliminary insight into catalytic and secondary structure of the protein. PCR validation of PsyE1 in 7D/7E bread wheat introgression lines further facilitated development of functional marker that could be used to track its introgression in elite bread wheat varieties. Overall, these detailed insilico insights into structure, function and validation of PsyE1 open doors for its deployment in to produce carotene biofortified hexaploid wheat through facilitating development of functional markers and MAS, as well as to elucidate its mechanism of action and regulation in response to external stimuli.