Exploring Regulatory Genes Underlying The BAMY1 Gene Expression Using Co-Expression Analysis

Owning the role of β-amylase in environmental stresses, this study was conducted to explore regulatory genes (transcription factor and protein kinase genes) underlying the gene encoding β-amylase (BAMY1) (LOC_Os10g32810) expression. Identification of transcription factor and protein kinase genes which are co-expressed with the BAMY1 gene may provide a deeper insight into elucidation of the underlying regulatory mechanism of the BAMY1 gene expression. In this regard, co-expression analysis was conducted on the BAMY1 gene using co-expression tool embedded in Genevestigator based on 2836 microarray samples. Co-expression analysis derived the top 25 most positive correlated candidate genes as co-expressed genes. Searching for genes encoding transcription factor and protein kinases among co-expressed genes subset revealed several candidate regulatory genes including one transcription factor and three protein kinases that probably linked to the BAMY1 gene regulation. Continued functional characterization of these candidate regulatory genes may contribute to further increase the knowledge of the regulatory mechanisms underlying BAMY1 gene expression. Overall, the present study led to identification of prioritized targets as a worthwhile resource for follow up studies in a quick and simplicity manner.