Genome wide analysis of ATP-binding Cassette (ABC) transporter in the eastern honey bee (Apis cerana Fabricius, 1793)

The ATP-binding Cassette (ABC) transporter family genes play a significant role in transporting substances such as heavy metals, phytohormones, and secondary metabolites across the structural membrane. However, it plays a vital function in the eastern honey bee (Apis cerana), still uncovered. The present study discovered a total of 28 ABC transporters genes in A. cerana genome. The ABC transporters genes phylogenetic tree gradually divide into eight groups, named from ABCA to ABCH. From these groups, ABCG belongs to the largest family containing maximum ABC transporters genes. The domain architecture and number of exon-intron differed from one gene to another gene. The exons ranged from 4 to 30. The sequence motif and alignment analysis established similar structural, functional sites in all A. cerana ABC transporter. In the present study results, 1st motif was observed in all genes except XM_028666551.1. It was observed that the A. cerana genes sequence illustrated synteny with A. dorsata. Furthermore, the biochemical and physical properties, conserved motifs, 3D (three-dimensional) structure prediction, and molecular docking with ATP molecules were also studied. Consequently, the results provided applicable information for a more functional analysis of ABC transporter genes in the honey bee and a reference study for other insects.