Identification and characterization of WUSCHEL related homeobox wox genes in selected orchids

Abstract

Orchids belong to one of the largest, diverse and highly evolved plant families, the orchidaceae, and known for their immense aesthetic value and pronounced longevity. In the post-genomic era, surge in genome-wide gene family characterization has highlighted the importance of genes involved in growth and development of plants. The WUSCHEL-related homeobox (WOX) gene family is one of the important gene families, which is involved in plant embryonic patterning, stem cell maintenance, organogenesis, florigenesis and somatic embryogenesis. A comprehensive in silico study was carried out and WOX genes were identified in Apostasia shenzhenica (10), Dendrobium catenatum (10), Phalaenopsis aphrodite (9), Phalaenopsis bellina (8), Phalaenopsis equestris (14), Phalaenopsis lueddemanniana (9), Phalaenopsis modesta (11) and Vanda cristata (3) on the basis of presence of conserved homeobox domain. Phylogenetic analysis clustered the gene family into three distinct clades; ancient, intermediate, and WUS clade. The expression analysis indicated that these genes have specific role in various growth and development pathways. Functional characterization of WOX genes in Aerides multiflora, Cymbidium aloifolium and Vanda cristata pave a way for further studies in genetic improvement researches in orchids. newline