Cloning and expression analysis of Rubisco activase genes in Carya cathayensis

摘要

ABSTRACT Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) is a key enzyme involved in CO 2 assimilation during photosynthesis. Rubisco activation depends on the activity of Rubisco activase (RCA). We performed 3?￠???2/5?￠???2 rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to amplify the 3?￠???2 and 5?￠???2 end sequences of RCA genes from hickory. We obtained two full-length gene sequences, designated CcRCA???± and CcRCA???2 . The two corresponding cDNAs are divergent in both the translated and 3?￠???2 untranslated regions. The analysis of the genomic DNA sequences suggested that the corresponding mRNAs are transcripts of two different genes and not the products of a single alternatively spliced pre-mRNA. We examined the expression of CcRCA???± and CcRCA???2 in hickory leaves at various stages of development by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis. The results suggest that RCA genes play an important role in development and environmental responses. These results provide a basis for modulating RCA gene expression to improve the photosynthetic rate and plant growth in hickory.