Genome-wide distribution of superoxide dismutase (SOD) gene families inSorghum bicolor

Abstract

Superoxide dismutases (SODs) are critical enzymes protecting cells against toxic superoxide radicals. To date, 3 types of SODs have been identified: Cu-ZnSODs, Fe-MnSODs, and NiSODs. In this study, a genome-wide analysis was performed in Sorghum bicolor to characterize SOD genes and proteins. Using several bioinformatics tools, we characterized a total of 8 SOD genes from the Sorghum genome. Gene structure, chromosomal distribution, tissue specific expression, conserved domain, and phylogenetic analyses of SOD genes were carried out. Additionally, 3-dimensional structures were determined and compared within each SbSOD protein.Chromosomal distributions revealed that the highest number of SOD genes was on chromosomes 1 and 10, with 2 members on each. Single segmental gene duplication was observed between the genes SbSOD2 and SbSOD5. Intron numbers of SbSOD genes ranged from 5 to 7. Motif analyses showed that SbSODs included 2 and 3 common motifs in Cu-ZnSOD and Fe-MnSODs, respectively. In addition, 3 functional domains were identified in SbSODs: 1) copper-zinc domain (Pfam: 00080) in Cu-ZnSOD; and 2) iron/manganese superoxide dismutases alpha-hairpin domain (Pfam: 00081) and 3) iron/manganese superoxide dismutases, C-terminal domain (Pfam: 02777) in Fe-MnSODs. Gene Ontology term enrichment analysis showed that 8 SOD genes have similar molecular functions and biological processes, and variable cellular components. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Cu-ZnSODs (92%) and Fe-MnSODs (100%) were separated by high bootstrap values. Additionally, predicted motif structures and critical binding sites of SbSODs were found to be similar within each SOD group. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of SOD genes and proteins in plants, especially in Sorghum taxa.

Chitosan Application in Vineyards (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Tinto Cão) Induces Accumulation of Anthocyanins and Other Phenolics in Berries, Mediated by Modifications in the Transcription of Secondary Metabolism Genes

“…In a very recent study, six Cu/Zn-SODs and two Fe-SODs were identified in grapevine and the expression analysis established a clear correlation of these genes in light stress resistance as well as in different aspects for abiotic stress management [33]. Other recent studies demonstrated a key role of SODs towards different environmental stresses in plants, such as ethylene, salinity, drought and low temperature [34,35] in various monocots and dicots species including Arabidopsis thaliana [36], Dimocarpus longan [34], Sorghum bicolor [37], Populus trichocarpa [38], Musa acuminate [33], Gossypium raimondii and Gossypium arboreum [39].…”

Genome-Wide Identification and Transcriptional Expression Analysis of Cucumber Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) Family in Response to Various Abiotic Stresses

“…SOD plays important roles in multiple processes of plant growth and resistance against environment stresses, and SOD gene family has been reported to be widely distributed in different plant species, such as Arabidopsis [ 40 ], longan [ 41 ], rice [ 34 , 42 ], poplar [ 22 ], banana [ 10 ], sorghum [ 35 ], tomato [ 6 ], and cotton [ 36 , 43 ]. However, no comprehensive analysis of this gene family has been reported in cucumber.…”

Heavy Metals in Crop Plants: Transport and Redistribution Processes on the Whole Plant Level

“…Ferritin is located in plastids and represents important intracellular storage form for Fe [17][18][19]. Mn is essential for the oxygen evolution in photosystem II and for a series of enzymatic reactions (e.g., phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, and superoxide dismutase) [1,2,13,[20][21][22]. Cu is present in the plastidial plastocyanin, in the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase, in Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase as well as in a series of other proteins [1,2,13,[23][24][25][26].…”