Electrophoretic analysis of proteins from different date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivars in Saudi Arabia

A study analyzing protein profiles of 15 date palm cultivars from Al-Ahsa Oasis, Saudi Arabia, reveals that most cultivars share a common genetic origin but exhibit distinct protein banding patterns. Using electrophoretic analysis and hierarchical clustering, researchers identified six clusters with high similarity (0.421 to 0.917), highlighting closely related cultivars like 'Hel,' 'Hat,' and 'Khl' as a unique cluster distinguished by four specific protein bands (92, 100, 205, and 108 kDa). Principal component analysis further confirmed these relationships, with the first component accounting for 52.3% of variance. The findings suggest that while Al-Ahsa's cultivars likely descend from a shared genetic source, local selection based on fruit traits has led to diversification over time.

Al Issa, A. M. (2015). Electrophoretic analysis of proteins from different date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivars in Saudi Arabia. African Journal of Biotechnology, 14(15), 1325–1333. https://doi.org/10.5897/ajb2014.14398