Genome-wide identification and analysis of superoxide dismutase genes in jute (Corchorus spp.)

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is an antioxidant enzyme found ubiquitously in all living organisms. It plays a protective role against reactive oxygen species, generated during different biotic and abiotic-stress condition. The current study focused on the characterization of SOD gene in two species of jute plants, Corchorus olitorius and Corchorus capsularis. Through bioinformatic study, a total of six sequences were identified from both species. All the sequences belong to the category of manganese superoxide dismutase located in the chloroplast and mitochondrial matrix. A detailed analysis of these sequences has been performed to determine the common physicochemical properties like the secondary and tertiary structure, subcellular localization of proteins. Further, the gene structure, domain, and motif analysis has been done which showed conserved number of exon/introns, domains, and motifs in the SOD genes. Phylogenetic analysis has been performed considering the SOD genes of both species along with other plants and non-plants organisms. This showed the ancestral relationship as well as the evolutionary divergence between plant and non-plant organisms through clads. Promoter analysis showed the significant cis-acting regulatory elements present in the 2000 bp upstream region of each SOD gene. In summary, these findings are considered as a foundation for further functional analysis of the SOD gene family in jute to improve the plant's ability to withstand dry, salty, and other stress conditions.