In Silico Characterization of 14 – 3 – 3 Protein Identified In Peanut ( Arachis Hypogaea L . ) Under Drought Stress

Peanut, an important oil and food crop frequently encounter drought stress which limits its productivity. Of the many proteins synthesized in response to drought, 14-3-3 proteins are highly conserved regulatory proteins and involved in many biological processes. In the present investigation, peptides of 143-3 protein isolated and sequenced from ICGV 91114 peanut cultivar were employed. The physico-chemical and secondary structural properties indicated this protein as hydrophilic, soluble and stable. Since 3D structure of peanut 14-3-3 protein is not available in public domain to elucidate its regulatory role, the present investigation was initiated to build a homology model, using 2o98 protein of tobacco as a template and validated through Ramachandran plot. A hypothesis was built on the role of peanut 14-3-3 protein in regulating 3 other drought tolerant proteins in silico; Late Embryogenesis Abundant protein-1, Ascorbate peroxidase-1 and Calcium ion binding protein, by identifying protein binding sites, validating and molecular docking. The results indicated its maximum interaction with calcium binding protein indicating its probable role in signaling other proteins in silico during drought stress.