Identification of the transcriptionally active cytochrome P450 repertoire in Coffea arabica

Abstract

Cytochrome P450s (P450s) comprise a gene superfamily encoding enzymes that are involved in diverse plant metabolic pathways that produce primary and secondary metabolites such as phenylpropanoids, terpenoids, nitrogen-containing compounds, and plant hormones. They comprise one of the most diverse gene families in plant evolution. Although there are many studies that aim to characterize P450s in plants, there is no report on the characterization of this superfamily in Coffea arabica, where they might be related to plant tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, as well as aroma-related compounds. In this study, we report the characterization and annotation of 87 putative P450s from C. arabica obtained from the Brazilian Coffee Genome Project and describe their transcriptional pattern in different tissues and coffee organs. To validate our approach, we measured the transcriptional profile of the CaCYP81D8_1 gene by quantitative polymerase chain reaction in leaves, flowers, and fruits. This study is the first effort to present and analyze the P450 superfamily in C. arabica, which may assist in understanding the chemical diversity of coffee secondary metabolites.