Genome-wide Analysis and Evolutionary Studies of Chitinase Gene Family in Vicia Faba and Medicago Truncatula

Tahmina Latif*1, Muhammad Usman Ghani1, Idrees1 and Aliya Batool1

1Centre of Agricultural Biochemistry and Biotechnology University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan

Abstract

Faba bean (Vicia faba) is a cool seasoned ancient crop with suitability for sustainable and diverse farming systems. It is grown in various cultivated forms such as broad, horse, tick, and central Asian varieties. Faba beans have a high nutritional value and offer high percentage of plant based protein for humans and animals. The limited use of these crops in modern agriculture is attributed to lack of genetic information related to biotic and abiotic stresses Recently, on March 23, 2023, researchers headed by INRAE French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment successfully sequenced the vast faba bean genome, paving the way for breakthroughs in understanding the molecular genetics of faba bean for the development of nutritious, biotic and abiotic stress resilient legume. Despite its importance, most of the faba bean genome is un annotated, and many gene families are yet to be characterized. The Chitinase gene is annotated and likely contributes to pathogen defense by breaking down chitin in fungal cell wall. This study compared the Chitinase genes from Vicia faba and Medicago truncatula, using chromosomal mapping, motif, gene structure, phylogenetic and synteny analyses to better understand evolutionary patterns and functional characteristics. RStudio was use for the visualization of trees and syntenic map. The outcomes from this study provided insights into plant defense mechanisms and evolutionary processes that would be a valuable resource for crop improvement and stress resilience research.