Comparative In Silico Analysis of Mevalonate Diphosphate Decarboxylase (MVD) Gene in Cucurbitaceae

Hernández-Amasifuen A.D.; Takei-Idiaquez D.H.; Yupanqui-Morales F.M.; Pineda-Lázaro A.J.; Guerrero-Abad J.C. · Applied Biosciences (2026) · DOI: 10.3390/applbiosci5020048

Resumen

One of the major agricultural, nutritional, and medicinal resource in the plant kingdom is the family of Cucurbitaceae, which is also recognized for its richness in carotenoids, terpenoids and triterpenoids. Mevalonate diphosphate decarboxylase (MVD) plays a crucial role in the mevalonate pathway by catalyzing a key step in isoprenoid biosynthesis, which is important for plant growth as well as for responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Despite its metabolic relevance, comparative analyses of the MVD gene and protein in cucurbits remain limited. Therefore, this study aimed to identify and characterize MVD gene and protein in Cucurbitaceae using in silico approaches. Homology searches, multiple sequence alignment, phylogenetic and selective pressure analyses, physicochemical characterization, structural prediction, conserved motif analysis, cis-regulatory element prediction, and public expression profiling were performed. The predicted proteins showed high conservation in amino acid sequence, motif organization, and structural conformation, with lengths ranging from 398 to 424 aa. Descriptive FPKM-based transcriptomic profiles in Cucumis sativus showed higher MVD expression values in reproductive tissues and an apparent increase under powdery mildew infection. These findings suggest a potential role of the MVD gene in the Cucurbitaceae family and provide an exploratory framework for future studies on terpenoid and triterpenoid metabolism, promoter regulation, and stress-associated transcriptional responses.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas; Universidad Nacional José Faustino Sánchez Carrión