Journal of Plant Sciences1816-4951xxxx-xxxxxAcademic Journals Inc.10.3923/jps.2011.174.181Manihot esculenta Crantz)]]>OpabodeJ.T. O.O. Oyelakin O.A. Akinyemiju I.L. Ingelbrecht 4201164Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is a major source of starch in tropical and subtropical countries. The genomic organization of the granule-bound starch synthase I (GBSS I) in cassava was examined to increase our knowledge of starch biosynthesis and facilitate the production of modified starches in cassava. Three partial genomic clones were generated and the sequence analysis revealed that they were identical at both nucleotide and amino acid levels. The insert in one of the clones, pOYE303-1 (accession no. HM038439), was 731 nucleotides long and encoded a partial protein of 124 amino acids with predicted molecular weight of 13.65 kDa and calculated 10.01 isoelectric point. HM038439 contained the first conserved domains of GBSS including the KTGG motif responsible for ADP-glucose binding site. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that cassava GBSS I belongs to dicot subgroup and is closely related to GBSS I of potato, sweet potato and buckthorn. In silico identification by nucleotide sequence alignment between genomic and cDNA sequences revealed three putative introns in GBSS I. The longest intron was 121 bp long and was located between nucleotide 595 and 716. The implications of these findings on starch biosynthesis and modification are discussed.]]>Blennow, A.,2003505864Burge, C.B. and S. Karlin,19988346354Ceballos, H., C.A. Iglesias, J.C. Perez and A.G.O. Dixon,200456503516Ceballos, H., T. Sanchez, N. Morante, M. Fregene and D. Dufour et al.,2007Manihot esculenta Crantz).]]>5574697476Ceballos, H., T. Sanchez, K. Denyer, A.P. Tofino and E.A. Rosero et al.,2008Manihot esculenta Crantz).]]>5672157222Chakraborty, M., K. Matkovic, D.G. Greir, E.L. Jarabek, W.A. Berzonsky, M.S. McMullen and D.C. Doehlert,200456339347Chen, S., D. Hofius, U. Sonnewald and F. Bornke,200336731740Defloor, I., I. Dehing and J.A. Delcour,199831189207Denyer, K., P. Johnson, S. Zeeman and A.M. Smith,2001158479487Edwards A., J.P. Vincken, C.J.M. Suurs, R.G.F. Visser, S. Zeeman, A. Smith and C. Martin,20021417671785Furukawa, K., M. Tagaya, M. Inouyes, J. Preiss and Y. Fukui,199026520852090Gonzalez, A.E., C. Schopke, N.J. Taylor, R.N. Beachy and C.M. Fauquet,1998Manihot esculenta Crantz) through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of embryogenic suspension cultures.]]>17827831Hankoua, B.B., N.J. Taylor, S.Y.C. Ng, I. Fawole and J. Puonti-Kaerlas et al.,2006517001712Hanley, B.A. and M.A. Schuler,1988167159 7176Hoover, R.,200145253267Ihemere, U., D. Ariaz-Garzon, S. Lawrence and R. Sayre, 20064453465Munyikwa, T.R.I., S. Langeveld, S.N.I.M. Salehuzzaman, E. Jacobsen and R.G.F. Visser,1997966575Raemakers, K., M. Schreuder, L. Suurs, H. Furrer-Verhorst and J.P. Vincken et al.,200516163172Rose, A.B.,2008326277290Salehuzzaman, S.N.I.M., E. Jacobsen and R.G.F. Visser,1993Manihot esculenta Crantz) and its antisense expression in potato.]]>23947962Snchez, T., E. Salcedo, H. Ceballos, D. Dufour and G. Mafla et al.,2009Manihot esculenta Crantz).]]>61310310Taylor, N., P. Chavarriaga, K. Raemakers, D. Siritunga and P. Zhang,200456671688Visser, R.G., I. Somhorst, G.J. Kuipers, N.J. Ruys, W.J. Feenstra and E. Jacobsen,1991225289296Wang, S.J., K.W. Yeh and C.Y. Tsai,1999106253261Dellaporta, S.L., J. Wood and J.B. Hicks,198311921