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Isolation and characterization of a fruit-specific cDNA and the corresponding genomic clone from tomato

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Abstract

Differential screening of a cDNA bank constructed from ripe tomato fruit mRNA allowed the isolation of cDNA clone 2A11 which is entirely fruit-specific, is expressed at steadily increasing levels from anthesis to breaker, and accounts for approximately 1% of the messenger RNA in mature tomato fruit. A genomic clone corresponding to the 2A11 cDNA was isolated from a tomato genomic library. Sequence comparison of the cDNA clone with the genomic clone shows they are identical over the shared region with the genomic clone possessing a single large intron near the 5′ end of the message.

The open reading frame of 2A11 would encode a sulfur-rich polypeptide 96 amino acids in length. The identity of the putative protein is unknown. In situ hybridization shows that the 2A11 message is found throughout the pericarp cells in a tomato fruit. In contrast, in situ hybridization of early ripening stages with a polygalacturonase probe shows higher mRNA levels in cells of the outer pericarp and cells surrounding the vascular regions of the pericarp.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Calgene, Inc., 1920 Fifth Street, 95616, Davis, CA, USA

    Julie R. Pear, Neal Ridge, Rik Rasmusgen, Ronald E. Rose & Catherine M. Houck

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  1. Julie R. Pear
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  2. Neal Ridge
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  3. Rik Rasmusgen
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  4. Ronald E. Rose
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  5. Catherine M. Houck
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Pear, J.R., Ridge, N., Rasmusgen, R. et al. Isolation and characterization of a fruit-specific cDNA and the corresponding genomic clone from tomato. Plant Mol Biol 13, 639–651 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00016019

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00016019

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