Characterization of Ankyrin Gene Family and Other Genes Involved in Pepper Fruit Size and Capsaicin Content

Ankyrin repeat (ANK) protein domain is found in a wide range of organisms from plants, humans to the microorganisms. It is a motif that consists of 33-residue which has two alpha helices that are seperated by a loop from each other. Our previous GWAS showed that ANK proteins were mapped for fruit size and capsaicin in pepper and the current study aims to investigate it further. Selected Ankyrin repeats will be analyzed using three pepper species (Capsicum annum, C. chinense, and C. baccatum) having variation in fruit size. Current genome mining using Arabidopsis and rice ankyrin genes as homologue search indicates that there are nearly 110 Ankyrin-repeat genes in pepper. Finally the phylogenetic relationship will be presented using proteins coded by these genes. This research also identified the mutations showing non-synonymous SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) and InDels in ankyrin gene family across three species. Through this investigation, we can track down the evolution of ankyrin gene family in pepper. In addition to that, this study will provide a list of candidates for further improvement of fruit size and capsaicin content in various pepper species.