Full length cDNA cloning and expression analysis of annexinA2 gene from deer antler tissue

ANXA2（AnnexinA2）, a calcium-dependent phospholipid bind- ing protein, is involved in various Ca2＋-related biological activities. In the present study, full-length cDNA of ANXA2 was isolated from the velvet antler tip tissue of sika deer （Cervus nippon hortulomm）; the amino acid sequence and gene expression was analyzed by using bioinformatics and real-time reverse transcdptase polymerase chain reaction （RT-PCR） techniques. Nucleotide sequence analysis reveals that the full-length cDNA of the ANXA2 gene was 1372 bp, of which 1020 bp was in the opan-reading frame （OR.F） encoding 339 amino acids; its relative mo- lecular weight was 38.3 kDa; and isoelectrie point was 6.72. Sequence analysis indicates that the protein includes four conserved tan- dem-duplication ANX domains. The gene-aceession nucleotide sequence number in GenBank is JX315571. Expression analysis by RT-PCR re- veals that ANXA2 gene expression has a significant positive correlation with the antler-tissue mineralization process, indicating that this gene may play an important role in the regulation of antler-tissue mineraliza- tion.

Diurnal Changes in the Transcription Profiles of Genes Encoding Starch Synthesis-related Enzymes in Wheat Grains under Field Conditions

[Objective] During the filling stage of plant growth and development, storage starch is diurnally synthesized and accumulated in the grains from cereal crops, but the underlying molecular mechanism is unclear. [Method] In this study, grains from the bread wheat cultivar Zhoumai 18 grown in fields were harvested at 15 d after anthesis, and quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(qPCR) was used to measure the transcriptional levels of 26 genes encoding starch synthesis-related enzymes at 2 h intervals throughout a diurnal cycle. [Result] Our findings indicated that storage starch was persistently synthesized in wheat grains throughout a 24 h period. The diurnal patterns of the transcriptional levels of 26 genes in wheat grains were classified into two groups. The 13 genes in Group 1 were temporally and highly expressed in wheat grains,and their encoded proteins could play crucial roles in starch synthesis. The other 13 genes in Group 2 were characterized by low or no transcription in wheat grains throughout a diurnal cycle, suggesting their function in the synthesis or degradation of transitory starches in wheat grains. [Conclusion] These results provide information on the molecular mechanism of storage starch synthesis in higher plants.