Bioinformatics-based Characterization of Stress Tolerance Spermidine Synthase from Zea mays

Abstract

The response to sensing environmental stress by plants is very important and can be short term by the synthesis of some protecting molecules against stress or long term by expressing phenotypic plasticity with alteration of developmental programme. The ability to respond to abiotic stress represents the main constraint on maize production. The spermidine synthase genes (Zmspds1 and Zmspds2) in Zea mays genome were identified by the PCR amplification and expression evaluated under salt and drought stress condition by semiquantitative PCR. The spermidine synthase1 (ZMSPDS1) was characterized bioinformatically; build up a putative structural model of the protein. The putative active sites and the key catalytic residues of this protein were identified. The expression of spermidine synthase genes (Zmspds1) by different stresses in maize suggest that these genes have diverse roles in different stress responses and may possess potential usefulness in stress-tolerance improvement of maize.

Keywords: Zea mays, Abiotic stress, Spermidine synthase, Three-dimensional