Molecular cloning and in-silico characterization of NAC86 of kalmegh (Andrographis paniculata)

Abstract

The Kalmegh (Andrographis paniculata) is a medicinal plant belonging to the family Acanthaceae and is widely cultivated in India for several medicinal uses. The NAC transcription factors are protein molecules that regulate the expression of targeted genes involved in controlling several biological mechanisms in plants, like growth and development and biotic/abiotic stresses. Therefore, NAC transcription factors are one of the emerging tools for crop improvement. The present study involves identifying and isolating the ApNAC86 gene, and its In-silico analysis, viz., tertiary structure prediction and its validation, binding prediction with the DNA molecule, and phylogenetic analysis. The isolated ApNAC86 has a molecular weight of 27.95 kD, and a theoretical isoelectric point (pI) is 6.76. The protein structure prediction and their validation through the Ramachandran plot indicated 87.27% of residues in the most favoured region, indicating good quality. Further, phylogenetic analysis revealed ApNAC86 is closely related to NAC86 from Phtheirospermum japonicum. Thus, the identified gene, ApNAC86, could be an essential genomic resource for the Kalmegh improvement programme.