Characterization of rice O-methyltransferase genes and their presumed homologs in Arabidopsis thaliana and Zea mays

Enzymatic methylation, one of these processes, plays a significant role and is catalyzed by a broad family of S-adenosyl-L-methionine dependent methyltransferases. A member of the primary families of methyltransferases in crops, O-Methyltransferases (MTs) is a vast family of enzymes that methylates the oxygen molecule of a range of secondary metabolites, primarily phenylpropanoids, flavonoids, and particularly alkaloids. In the current work, we conducted a genome-wide investigation of the rice plant (Oryza sativa) and discovered 32 MT genes marked for their positions on the chromosomes. There have been discoveries of potential rice gene orthologs in both monocot (Zea mays) and dicot plant species (Arabidopsis thaliana). According to the research, the rice MT genes' architectures, genomic location, cis-elements and conserved motifs in their promoter regions were all described. To comprehend their evolutionary links, we examined the exon-intron structures of the monocot and dicot MT genes and equated them to rice orthologs. A limited number of genes exhibited elevated levels of expression within distinct tissue types, counting; OsMT 1, 2, 7, 8, 14, 17, 19, 20, 25, 28 in the pinacle; OsMT 5, 6, 16, and 29 in the seed; OsMT 4, 11, 13, 16, 22 in leaf; OsMT 12, 15, 32 in the shoot; OsMT 3, 9 and in callus; OsMT 21, 24 and 27 in root; and OsMT 10, 23, 26, 30 and 31 in anther. Additionally, we examined nucleotide variation at each rice MT gene across one hundred Chinese rice types using data from the 3000 Rice Genomes Project (3 K RGP). The study identified 32 MT genes in rice genome and explored their correlation with gene architecture. Segmental duplication plays an important role in gene family proliferation. Rice MT genes show a wide range of expression patterns and respond well to abiotic stressors. The results contribute to a better understanding of the rice MT family and offer valuable insights for other gene families. Our understanding of the development and characterization of MT genes in rice will be further expanded as a result of this study, which will also serve as a platform for further research.