Sequence Analysis and Homology Modelling of SmHQT Protein, a Key Player in Chlorogenic Acid Pathway of Eggplant

Eggplant is an important vegetable that belongs to family Solanaceae. Fruits of eggplant are rich in phenolic acids. Chlorogenic acid makes up to 90 per cent of total phenolic acids present in the eggplants fruit flesh. Eggplant hydroxycinnamoyl CoA-quinate (SmHQT) is the central enzyme that modulates the last step of the chlorogenic acid pathway of eggplant. Here, we have analysed the sequence of eggplant SmHQT protein in eggplant. The sequence obtained from the NCBI was aligned using MUSCLE. After that, homology modelling was performed using MODELLER 9v15. Model with Dope Z-Score of -1.596 was selected and verified for viability under real conditions using several online tools. Also, the docking was performed with this model. Overall, this could be useful in developing eggplant varieties rich in phenolic acids especially chlorogenic acid.