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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #96937
Title: PCR AMPLIFICATION OF A BETA-GALACTOSIDASE CDNA CLONE FROM PERSIMMON FRUIT

Author
item KANG, I - YEUNGNAM UNIVERSITY
item SUH, S. - YEUNGNAM UNIVERSITY
item BYUN, J. - YEUNGNAM UNIVERSITY
item Gross, Kenneth

Submitted to: Korean Society of Horticulture Science Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/3/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: In order to limit the roughly 25 percent loss of all fruits and vegetables that occur in the U.S. due to this postharvest deterioration, and in order to help maintain a safe food supply, we have studied the biochemical mechanisms involved in the fruit softening process in an effort to modify plants genetically so that they produce fruit that resist the softening process. Fruit softening leads to increased susceptibility to fungal decay and decreased quality, storage life, and overall quality. Decreased quality may also make fresh fruits and vegetables more likely to have food safety-related problems. The present study reports on the cloning of a gene involved in degrading the fruit cell wall, a sugar envelope surrounding each fruit cell, leading to a loss of structural integrity, and thus fruit firmness. This information will be used by us and other scientists in an attempt to limit the expression of the gene(s) coding for these enzymes during ripening, to slow cell wall degradation and fruit softening.

Technical Abstract: This study was carried out to amplify and clone of persimmon beta- galactosidase cDNA based on a consensus N-terminal amino acid sequence of apple, asparagus, persimmon and carnation beta-galactosidase by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR amplified beta-galactosidase was a DNA fragment of 849 bp. It was cloned into the pCR-Script cloning vector (pPBG8). The N-terminal sequence of the 44-kDa protein showed strong homology with order recently identified beta-galactosidase from tomato, apple, asparagus, and carnation. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the 44-kDa protein showed 60 percent identity with those of beta- galactosidase amino acid sequence from asparagus, 70 percent identity with apple, 45 percent identity with carnation and 45 percent identity with tomato. The deduced amino acid sequence pPBG8 cDNA showed 100 percent identity with the N-terminal amino acid sequence (11-Val to 20 Ile) from persimmon fruit. The deduced amino acid sequence of pPBG8 cDNA showed 70 percent identity with those of beta- galactosidase clone from asparagus, 72 percent identity with apple, 66 percent identity with carnation and 73 percent identity with tomato. pPBG8 showed a greater deviation from the consensus sequence of the other four clones which showed a higher degree of homology toward each other.