Gcorn Plant: A Database for Retrieving Functional and Evolutionary Traits of Plant Genes

Area of Science:

• Plant biology
• Genomics
• Evolutionary biology

Background:

• Gene homology is crucial for understanding gene function and plant speciation.
• Increasing plant gene and species data necessitates integrated analysis tools.
• Associating homologous genes across diverse plant species enhances evolutionary insights.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop the Gcorn plant database for retrieving information on plant gene homology and evolution.
• To facilitate the study of homologous genes within and across plant species.
• To provide a resource for investigating the evolutionary trajectories of plant genes.

Main Methods:

• Collected 2,682,261 amino acid sequences from 73 plant species (62 land plants, 11 green algae) from NCBI.
• Performed NCBI BLAST searches to group homologous genes based on author-devised homology indices.
• Developed visualizations including phylogenetic trees, line charts, and network graphs to represent gene homology and species relationships.

Main Results:

• Successfully grouped homologous genes across a wide range of plant species.
• Visualized functional and evolutionary traits using phylogenetic trees and network graphs.
• Integrated gene homology data with species phylogeny and speciation timelines.

Conclusions:

• The Gcorn database effectively integrates gene homology, function, and evolution data for plants.
• The database provides novel insights into plant speciation by analyzing homologous gene relationships.
• Gcorn serves as a valuable resource for researchers studying plant genomics and evolution.