Plant Genomics

Biography

Biography: Neelofar Mirza

Abstract

Understanding the    molecular mechanisms    underlying the uptake, transp ort, accumulation and of the existing   genetic   variation for storage of minerals in  grains is of utmost importance for development of biofortified   crops  . Finger mil let (Eleusine coracana) has an immense potential as a food security  crop  due to its high nutritional profile and exceptionally high calcium   (Ca) content.   Seeds  , tubers and fruits are generally low in Ca content however, finger millet grains has been reported to contain Ca as high as 376-515 mg/100 g. In order to understand the molecular machinery associated with this high Ca accumulation  and to identify the  candidate genes  and proteins, a com bination of biochemical,  functional genomics  and proteomics approaches were used. Genotypes with contra sting grain Ca content were selected. Members of calcium transporters and sensors i.e., Calmodulin and CaM/Ca dependent kinases were isolated and    transcriptional expression    analysis of these   genes   was carried out in var ious tissues i.e., from  root     tips to different stages of developing spikes amongst the contrasting   genotypes  . Calmodulin (CaM) protein was also assessed in their grains using anti-CaM antibodies. Results correlated the var iable Ca accumulation in different tissues to differential expression of these  genes . Immmuno-detection showed higher CaM in the grains of high Ca accumulating gen  otype. Also, higher transcript levels of CaM and Ca  transporters  was seen in the high Ca accumulating genotype, which might cause greater stimulation of the downstream calciu m transport machinery leading to elevated calcium accumulation. The results provide a model for explaining the mechanism of elevated calcium accumulation  in finger millet and pave way for development of nutraceuticals or designer crops.