Solliman, M., Abdullah, M., Elbarbary, H., Mohasseb, H. (2023). A New Reliable and Sensitive PCR Assay as an Early Diagnosis of Sex-Determination in Jojoba Plants Based on the Human SRY Gene. Egyptian Journal of Botany, 63(1), 129-139. doi: 10.21608/ejbo.2022.147831.2027
Mohei EL-Din Solliman; Mohammed Ba Abdullah; Hany S. Elbarbary; Heba Allah A. Mohasseb. "A New Reliable and Sensitive PCR Assay as an Early Diagnosis of Sex-Determination in Jojoba Plants Based on the Human SRY Gene". Egyptian Journal of Botany, 63, 1, 2023, 129-139. doi: 10.21608/ejbo.2022.147831.2027
Solliman, M., Abdullah, M., Elbarbary, H., Mohasseb, H. (2023). 'A New Reliable and Sensitive PCR Assay as an Early Diagnosis of Sex-Determination in Jojoba Plants Based on the Human SRY Gene', Egyptian Journal of Botany, 63(1), pp. 129-139. doi: 10.21608/ejbo.2022.147831.2027
Solliman, M., Abdullah, M., Elbarbary, H., Mohasseb, H. A New Reliable and Sensitive PCR Assay as an Early Diagnosis of Sex-Determination in Jojoba Plants Based on the Human SRY Gene. Egyptian Journal of Botany, 2023; 63(1): 129-139. doi: 10.21608/ejbo.2022.147831.2027
A New Reliable and Sensitive PCR Assay as an Early Diagnosis of Sex-Determination in Jojoba Plants Based on the Human SRY Gene
1Plant Biotechnology Department, College of Agricultural and Food Sciences, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 400, Al-Ahsa 31982, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
2Plant Biotechnology Department, National Research Centre, Dokki-Egypt, Cairo; P.O. Box. 12622; Egypt
3Biological sciences Dept., College of Sciences, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 400, Al-Ahsa 31982, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
4College of Medicine, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 400, Al-Ahsa 31982, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
5Internal Medicine Departments, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufiya University, Egypt
Abstract
JOJOBA (Simmondsia chinensis L.) is a dioecious perennial evergreen shrub that is native to the south-western deserts of North America, and has now been introduced to the Middle East. Currently, the global production of jojoba is low; this is mainly due to the high male-to-female ratio in plantations, since the plants are mainly established from seed. Hence, a proper male:female population ratio is almost impossible to maintain in the field, leading to reduced production. We report a breakthrough in the methodology for determining the sex of jojoba plants. Our research revealed that the jojoba genome contains a sequence of the SRY gene, which encodes a protein that is similar to that found in the human sex-determining region (SRY) gene. This region was amplified and matched with sequences that are found in papaya and humans. The jojoba-SRY (SRY gene) was amplified, and we closely matched its sequences with those in the papaya and human. The complete sequence of the DNA was deposited into the GenBank (MK991776, 360pb) database. Our newly developed method is rapid and straightforward, representing a breakthrough for sex determination strategies of jojoba plants at early developmental stages. The uniqueness of this approach is that it targets specific sequences in the SRY, a region that has been extensively studied in human genetics but is also apparently recognizable in plants. This useful molecular diagnostic tool is vital to agronomical breeding programs for sex determination in long-lived jojoba crops.