Molecular cloning and expression analysis of a gene encoding a putative β-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) synthase III
(KAS III) from Jatropha curcas
Jun Li (1), Mei-Ru Li (1), Ping-Zhi Wu (1), Chang-En Tian (2), Hua-Wu Jiang (1) and Guo-Jiang Wu (1, 3)
1. South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, P.R. China / 2. Research Center for Functional Genomics and Microarray, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510405, P.R. China / 3. Corresponding author () / Received January 1, 2008; accepted February 18, 2008; published online April 1, 2008
Summary
A cDNA clone encoding a putative β-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) synthase III (KAS III) was isolated from Jatropha curcas L., a woody oil plant. The cDNA clone (named JcKAS III) contained a 1203-bp open reading frame coding for 400 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of about 42 kDa. The deduced
amino acid sequence of the cDNA clone shares about 80% identity to KAS III from other plants, and contains a conserved Cys176 in the active site and the amino acid motif G355NTSAAS361 which is responsible for binding regulatory acyl-ACPs. Southern blotting analysis indicated that JcKAS III is a single copy gene in the J. curcas genome. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that JcKAS III was expressed in all tissues examined with highest expression in roots, and that expression of JcKAS III increased as seeds developed.
