Abstract

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is an ancient oilseed crop with medicinal and nutritional value. Timely regulation of flowering could increase the sesame crop’s seed productivity potential. To regulate flowering in sesame, it is necessary to identify the genes involved in flower development. Although several homeotic genes with a role in flower development have been identified in model plant species such as Arabidopsis thaliana, Antirrhinum majus, and Petunia hybrida, the homeotic genes in sesame need to be detected. It is hypothesized that a set of homeotic genes is conserved with a role in flower formation in sesame. The study aimed at identifying the homeotic genes through a genome-wide in silico search using the Sesamum genome database and gene expression studies. Our study revealed 23 putative homeotic genes that exhibited MADS domain, a characteristic of the homeotic genes, along with nine putative transcription factors with a role in flower formation. Furthermore, the gene expression studies revealed the five putative ABCDE class of genes –SiAP1, SiAP3, SiAG, SiSTK, and SiSEP3, respectively, as the critical players representing each of the five classes of ABCDE genes in sesame, confirming their function in floral induction and floral organ identity. The homeotic genes identified in this study could be explored further through gene manipulation and complementation studies to understand the mechanism of flowering in sesame.

Key words: Flower organ identity, gene expression pattern, genome-wide search, homeotic genes, Sesamum indicum