ANNOTATION AND STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF THE SUCROSE TRANSPORTER GENE FAMILY IN CHICKPEA (Cicer arietinum)

Abstract

In this study, a total of 21 members of the sucrose transporter family (sugars will eventually be exported transporter, SWEET) has been identified in the chickpea kabuli 'CDC Frontier' cultivar. The majority of genes encoding SWEET, excluding CaSWEET21 is located on the chromosomes with an uneven ratio. Interestingly, several CaSWEET genes were found in the subtelomeric regions in the chromosomes. Our comparisons showed that no direct correlation between the number of SWEET genes, genome size and the number of chromosomes in plant species. By using the PIECE tool, we found that the fragmented structure in the CaSWEET gene family. Among them, most of the CaSWEET genes had six exons. Our study would provide an initial understanding of the SWEET family in chickpea. The general characteristics of SWEETs and the expression profiles of SWEET genes in various stress conditions will be carried out in further studies.