UGTs through the genus Brassica
Contents
Introduction
The genus Brassica
The genus Brassica consists of over thirty wild species and hybrids or morphotypes. Generally, species from the genus Brassica are used in food like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and more.
The Brassica genome has undergone more polyploidy than Arabidopsis thaliana. Arabidopsis thaliana is notable for being a model organism because of its complexity paired with a relatively small genome.
Duplication Events
The Brassica genome has undergone two tetraploidy and two hexaploidy events, one more than Arabidopsis, since the eudicot paleohexaploidy event which gave rise to Vitis, Prunus, Arabidopsis, and Brassica.
Triangle of U
The "Triangle of U" theory describes the genetic relationship between six species of Brassica: Brassica rapa, Brassica nigra, Brassica oleracea, Brassica juncea, Brassica carinata, and Brassica napus. B. juncea, B. carinata and B. napus are allotetraploids, hybrids with four times the chromosome set of haploids. (Definitely want a depiction of the Triangle of U here)
UGT Gene Family
UGT functions
Uridine diphosphate (UDP) glycosyltransferases (UGTs) mediate transfer of glycosyl residues from activated nucleotide sugars to acceptor molecules (Tang, Unleashing the Genome of the Brassica rapa). They provide instructions for making enzymes that perform the process of glucuronidation, the addition of glucuronic acid to a substrate (Genetics Home Reference, UGT gene family).
UGT chemistry
By mediating transfer of glycosyl residues from activated nucleotide sugars to acceptor molecules, UGTs regulate properties of those acceptors such as bioactivity, solubility and transport within cells and throughout organisms (Ross, Higher plant glycosyltransferases).
Methods
Building a Phylogeny of Genes in the UGTs in Arabidopsis thaliana
Using TAIR
The Arabidopsis Information Resource provided FASTA files for several hundred sequences. The sequences were copied and saved in a library to be used later in the phylogeny building.
