title: Cloning and expression of a UDP-glucuronic acid decarboxylase gene in rice.
abstract: A cDNA fragment was cloned from rice immature seeds by the RT-PCR method. The deduced amino acid sequence of the cDNA showed a high degree of identity with UDP-d-glucuronic acid decarboxylase (UXS) from other plants and was most similar to the soluble UXS from Arabidopsis. The recombinant protein, expressed in an Escherichia coli system, catalysed the conversion of UDP-d-glucuronic acid to UDP-d-xylose, confirming that the gene encoded UXS. The uxs gene was expressed in mature, harvested rice seeds as well as in immature seeds 14 d post-anthesis, suggesting that the uxs gene is necessary at the beginning of the germination period. This is the first report of the cloning of the uxs gene from monocots.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Agriculture and Biological Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, Gakuen-cho 1-1, Sakai, Osaka 599-8531, Japan.
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Yasuhiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kitamura
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002262:Carboxy-Lyases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012275:Oryza / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D002262:Carboxy-Lyases; C023257:UDPglucuronate decarboxylase