Molecular cloning and characterization of the squalene synthase from grain amaranth

Abstract

Grain Amaranth is a highly nutritious crop that is widely cultivated for its edible leaves and seeds. squalene synthase is important enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of squalene, which is a key precursor for the synthesis of plant sterols and triterpenoids. In this study, we cloned and characterized the Squalene synthase (SQS) gene from grain Ama-ranth. The full-length cDNA sequence of the gene was obtained by PCR amplification and se-quencing. The gene was found to be 1300 bp long, encoding a protein of 555 amino acids. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the grain Amaranth Squalene synthase belongs to the same clade as other plant SQS. To check the expression pattern of the gene, we performed qRT-PCR analysis in different tis-sues of grain Amaranth. The results showed that the gene was highly expressed in the mature leaf. We successfully cloned and characterized the SQS from grain amaranth. Furthermore, this work would provide important insights into the biosynthesis of squalene and lay a foundation for the functional validation of SQS in grain amaranths.