Genome wide identification of bromelain-like cysteine proteases in Puya raimondii

Abstract

Bromelains are cysteine proteases of the papain family (C1A subfamily). These enzymes are of great commercial value due to their applications in the food, pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries. In plants, they play an important role in multiple physiological processes from germination to senescence, mainly in the defense of plants against biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study, we used available data from the P. raimondii genome (Bioproject PRJNA639677) to identify genes encoding bromelain-type proteases. Six bromelain-like nucleotide sequences are postulated in P. raimondii draft genome. Hormone, stress and light responsive elements in the PrBLCPs sequences were detected. The theoretical molecular weights of the proteins putatives PrBLCPs in P. raimondii range from 36643.21-45761.20 Da and theoretical isoelectric point 5.05 to 8.63. Multiple primary sequence alignments and structural model prediction demonstrate that P. raimondii putative proteases are very similar to A. comosus fruit bromelain (O23791) recognized in the SwissProt/Uniprot database. Phylogenetic relationships between the bromelain-like putative cysteine proteases of P. raimondii and the bromelain proteases of A. comosus placed the PrBLCPs in two subclades, although with very short phylogenetic distances between them. The results of this study provide valuable information for future genomic studies of bromelain family genes in the genus Puya. In addition, it aids in the understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of these proteases and their roles in plant stress tolerance.