title: Characterization of a class I chitinase gene and of wound-inducible, root and flower-specific chitinase expression in Brassica napus.
abstract: Complementary and genomic DNAs coding for a Brassica napus chitinase have been cloned and sequenced. The genomic DNA contains one intron and encodes a 322-amino acid basic chitinase with a 20-amino acid N-terminal signal peptide followed by a 40-amino acid cysteine-rich domain, linked by a hinge region to the main domain of the enzyme. The sequence of the cDNAs is identical to the exon sequence deduced from the genomic DNA. A probe derived from this gene identified a 1.2-kb transcript present in high amount in roots, moderate in floral tissues and low in stems and leaves. The synthesis of these transcripts is regulated during development and is induced in roots by wounding and ethephon. This type of chitinase is encoded by two sequences in Brassica napus, as shown either by Southern hybridizations or by genomic amplification and sequencing using the polymerase chain reaction. These genes are homologous to one sequence found in the Brassica oleracea genome.
authors.affiliation: Département de Biochimie, Faculté des Sciences et de Génie, Université Laval, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hamel
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bellemare
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D001937:Brassica / Q000201:enzymology*; D002688:Chitinases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000737:chemistry; D015870:Gene Expression; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; D002688:Chitinases