Abstract:

We aim to study the function of PDS gene in Rhododendron molle, and provide a theoretical basis for studying the molecular mechanism of petal coloring. R. molle was used as material, a PDS gene was cloned from R. molle cDNA using RT-PCR and RACE methods. The full-length cDNA sequence of the PDS gene is 2098 bp, named RmPDS. The sequence analysis showed that the RmPDS contained a 1743 bp open reading frame encoding 580 amino acids. The homologous alignment showed that it shared 87.80% of amino acid identities with PDS from the other plant plants using NCBI blast tool. The phylogenetic tree constructed by MEGA software indicated that the genetic relationship between R. molle and Camellia sinensis was the most intimate. The results of real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR showed that the RmPDS gene expression level was lower in the bud stage and expansion stage, and reached to the highest level in the early flowering stage, but decreased in the blooming stage. RmPDS was involved in the formation of R. molle flower color. This study may provide references for further research on the molecular mechanism of RmPDS involved in the formation of R. molle flower color. Meanwhile, the study provides a reporter gene for the construction of the VIGS system in Rhododendorn.

Key words: Rhododendron molle, PDS gene, petal coloring, real-time PCR, gene cloning