Sequence Identification and Analysis of the 5′ Untranslated Region of UGT76G1 gene in Stevia rebaudiana

Introduction: Stevia rebaudiana contains steviol glycosides responsible for their sweet taste. One of the most important enzymes in the steviol glycosides production pathway in Stevia rebaudiana is the UGT76G1 enzyme, which is involved in the conversion of stevioside to rebaudioside A. The aim of this study was to identify the 5'-UTR of the UGT76G1 gene and investigate the cis-elements present in this region.Materials and Methods: The promoter and gene sequences of this enzyme were obtained from the NCBI database. To identify the 5'-UTR region, a pair of primers was designed. The pure amplified fragment was cloned into the pTG19 vector and transformed into E. coli XL1-Blue bacteria. Sequencing data were analyzed, and a fragment with a length of 944 nucleotides was identified as the 5'-UTR. Then, the cis-elements in this sequence were investigated using PlantCARE and PlantPAN.Results: The 5′UTR sequence has been submitted to the NCBI database with the accession number OP897301. It was found that 65% of the elements in the 5’-UTR are responsible for regulating gene transcription, confirming the regulatory role of this sequence.Conclusions: The identification of regulatory regions and cis-elements in this region can be used in future research to regulate gene expression.

Sequence Identification and Analysis of the 5′ Untranslated Region of UGT76G1 gene in Stevia rebaudiana Keywords:

5' UTR , Cis-regulatory Elements , Regulatory Sequences , UDP-glycosyltransferase 76G1