title: Cloning of cDNA for UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase and the expression of mRNA in rice endosperm.
abstract: Rice endosperm UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (UGPase) cDNA clones were isolated by screening a lambda ZAP II library prepared from poly (A(+)) RNA of japonica rice (cv Sasanishiki) endosperm with a probe of potato UGPase cDNA. One cDNA clone, possessing about 1,700 nucleotides, contained the complete open reading frame of rice UGPase. At the nucleotide-sequence level, the UGPase cDNA of rice endosperm had high homology with the UGPase cDNA of barley endosperm (84%) and potato tuber (71%). The calculated molecular weight (50 kDa) agrees with the value determined by SDS-PAGE (51 kDa). At the amino-acid sequence level, rice UGPase has high homology with the UGPase of barley (92%) and potato (85%). The enzyme contained conserved sequence elements which are thought to be involved in substrate binding and catalytic activity. A Southern-blot analysis indicated that the gene existed as a single copy. Expression of the enzyme in rice endosperm examined by Northern-blot analysis was high at 10-15 days after heading.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics and Breeding, Department of Bioresource Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Yamagata University, 1-23 Wakabamachi, Tsuruoka, 997-8555 Japan, tabe@tds1.tr.yamagata-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: T.
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: H.
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Niiyama
authors.forename: T.
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sasahara