title: A root-specific O-methyltransferase gene expressed in salt-tolerant barley.
abstract: A cDNA encoding an O-methyltransferase (OMT) was isolated from salt-tolerant barley roots by subtraction hybridization with cDNAs of salt-tolerant barley roots as a tester cDNA and cDNAs of the salt-sensitive barley roots as a driver cDNA. The deduced amino acid sequence showed significant identity with plant caffeic acid/5-hydroxyferulic acid OMTs. Southern blot analysis showed that the OMT gene was a single copy in both salt-tolerant and -sensitive barley. The cloned gene was expressed in a wheat germ cell-free system to produce the OMT, which had methylating activity for caffeic acid. Northern blot analysis showed that the OMT gene was expressed constitutively in the salt-tolerant barley roots and the expression level was increased 1.5 times by salt stress, but the salt-sensitive barley showed no expression of the gene in roots and leaves.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemistry, Research Institute for Bioresources, Okayama University, Kurashiki, Okayama 710-0046, Japan. manabus@rib.okayama-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sugimoto
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Kazutoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Kazuyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takeda
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000235:genetics*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000235:genetics*; D001467:Hordeum / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics*; D008780:Methyltransferases / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000201:enzymology*; D018749:RNA, Plant / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D018744:DNA, Plant; D018749:RNA, Plant; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D008780:Methyltransferases