Gossypium hirsutum gene of unknown function, Gohir.A02G039501.1, encodes a potential DNA-binding ALOG protein involved in gene regulation

A protein of unknown function encoded by gene Gohir.A02G039501.1 in Gossypium hirsutum , was studied using sequence and structure bioinformatic tools leading to its proposed function as a nuclear, DNA-binding ALOG protein involved in gene regulation during organ boundary specification and maintenance. The encoded protein contains a predicted nuclear localization sequence, an ALOG domain with conserved residues in the modeled DNA-binding regions and nearly identical sequence identity to Arabidopsis homologs involved in development of organ boundaries at the shoot apical meristem. The protein was modeled by AlphaFold2 to have a four-helix bundle that is structurally analogous to DNA-binding domains of XerC/D-like recombinases.