Molecular Characterization and Expression Pattern of a Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) Abscission Polygalacturonase Gene

The complete coding sequence of one tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum)abscission polygalacturonase gene was amplified based on tobacco ESTs. The open reading frame of tobacco abscission polygalacturonase gene is 1197 bp in length, which encodes a protein of 398 amino acids. Sequence analysis revealed that tobacco abscission polygalacturonase is highly homologous with the abscission polygalacturonase of Lycopersicon esculentum(77%), common olive(74%), carrot(69%)and soybean(66%). Tobacco abscission polygalacturonase might be a transmembrane protein based on the predicted transmembrane helices. Expression pattern analyses indicated that tobacco abscission polygalacturonase gene was differentially expressed in leaf, stem, root, and flower tissues. These results set the stage for further research on tobacco abscission polygalacturonase gene.