Document Type : Original Research Papers
Authors
1
Genetics and Genetic Engineering Dep., Faculty of Agriculture, Benha University, Egypt.
2
Genetics and Genetic Engineering Dept., Faculty of Agriculture, Benha University, Egypt.
3
Genetics and Genetics Engineering Dept., Faculty of Agriculture, Benha Univ., Benha, Egypt
4
Genetics Dep., Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Egypt.
Abstract
Drought stress is a major abiotic factor limiting plant productivity, necessitating adaptive mechanisms at the molecular level to ensure survival. This study presents a comparative computational analysis of the physicochemical properties of five drought-responsive proteins (bZIP1, AP2-EREBP, COX1, HSP20 and PKDP) across multiple plant species, including Oryza sativa, Zea mays, Triticum aestivum, Sorghum bicolor, Arabidopsis thaliana and Hordeum vulgare. The amino acid composition, molecular weight (MW), isoelectric point (pI), and instability index were analyzed using the ProtParam tool to elucidate the structural adaptations of these proteins under drought conditions.
The results indicate that bZIP1 and AP2-EREBP exhibit serine and glycine content variations, respectively, suggesting distinct phosphorylation-mediated regulatory mechanisms for drought adaptation. COX1, a mitochondrial enzyme, displays high leucine and glycine levels, reinforcing its conserved role in energy metabolism during drought-induced oxidative stress. HSP20 is characterized by high valine content and a complete absence of cysteine, enhancing its chaperone activity and structural flexibility for protein stabilization under osmotic stress. PKDP, a kinase involved in drought-responsive signaling, exhibits species-specific differences in lysine content and instability index, indicating variations in phosphorylation-dependent regulatory functions.
Overall, this comparative study highlights key biochemical adaptations that enhance protein stability, flexibility, and function under drought stress. These findings provide molecular insights into plant drought resilience and lay the groundwork for targeted genetic improvement strategies in crop breeding programs. Further experimental validation, including structural modeling and functional assays, is recommended to confirm the computational predictions and explore their potential applications in enhancing plant stress tolerance.
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