Molecular characterization of 24 gene of finger millet () for investigating its regulatory role in calcium transport.

Finger millet grains contain exceptionally high levels of calcium which is much higher compared to other cereals and millets. Since calcium is an important macronutrient in human diet, it is necessary to explore the molecular basis of calcium accumulation in the seeds of finger millet. is a calcium sensor gene, having role in activating Ca exchanger protein by interaction with CBL proteins. To know the role of gene in seed Ca accumulation, sequence is retrieved from the transcriptome data of two finger millet genotypes GP1 (low Ca) and GP45 (high Ca), and the expression was determined through qRT-PCR. The higher expression was found in root, shoot, leaf and developing spike tissue of GP45 compared to GP1; structural analysis showed difference of nine SNPs and one extra beta sheet domain as well as differences in vacuolar localization was predicted; besides, the variation in amino acid composition among both the genotypes was also investigated. Molecular modeling and docking studies revealed that both and showed strong binding affinity with (GP1) compared to (GP45). It indicates a genotypic structural variation, which not only affects the affinity but also calcium transport efficiency after interaction of CIPK-CBL with calcium exchanger (CAX1b) to pull calcium in the vacuole. Based on the expression and in silico study, it can be suggested that by activating protein, plays an important role in high seed Ca accumulation.