No abstract

A novel putative D-allulose 3-epimerase (DAEase) named CcDAE with the accession number of WP_183335203.1 was discovered in this study from Chelatococcus composti genome using in silico genome mining method. The sequence, which was retrieved from the genome of Chelatococcus composti strain CGMCC 1.15283 and became the first reported D-allulose 3-epimerase from the species. The sequence length of CcDAE was 282 aa with a molecular weight prediction of 30.504 kDa. The sequence analysis disclosed a high sequence conservation at the residues building the metal binding site and substrate binding site. The phylogenetic tree also disclosed that the closest related sequence with CcDAE was from Cereibacter spaeroides. The biochemical prediction also informed that CcDAE had an isoelectric point (pI) at pH 5.74. In addition, the novel putative enzyme was predicted to withstand a high temperature up to 65 °C and was considered as a stable protein. Therefore, the research finding suggests that CcDAE was potential for further exploration.

Given the continuous increase in the world population, producing more food is necessary. The majority of people across the world consume rice as the main food. Thus, it is essential to produce more rice plants to be able to feed the growing world population. Molecular biology techniques have advanced rapidly, allowing the exploration and discovery of various plants by examining their DNA genome, which is called DNA barcoding. This paper aims to develop a pipeline for the identification and exploration of rice plants by utilizing a DNA barcoding approach. We chose the rbcL gene as a target region for DNA barcoding. Then, we retrieved the sequences of different rice species from the online database. After performing sequence analysis, a set of primers were designed, which were then used for in-silico PCR amplification. We have shown that the designed primers have fulfilled the desired criteria. In addition, the gel electrophoresis confirmed the successful amplification of the rbcL gene using the designed primers. Hence, this study can be used to identify rice species or variants with superior traits. This may help to solve the food availability issue in the future.