NPH3 — Cicer arietinum

Summary

CaNPH3 (LOC101493345) on chickpea chromosome 1 encodes a member of the NPH3/RPT2-like family, containing BTB/POZ and NPH3 domains, and is annotated with blue light photoreceptor activity, FMN binding, GTPase activity, and protein serine/threonine kinase activity. The gene is associated with chloroplast accumulation movement, root hair cell differentiation, endosperm development, and regulation of proton transport. It is linked to numerous agronomically relevant traits including biomass yield, seed yield, water use efficiency, photosynthetic rate, days to flowering, germination rate, nitrate uptake, root mass density, stomatal resistance, and responses to biotic stress, viral disease, and hormones such as brassinosteroids, gibberellic acid, and ethylene. Studies of related genes in other species link the family to phototropic growth, chloroplast positioning, stomatal aperture opening, lateral root growth, and resistance to fungal pathogens.