Analysis of Resistance to Powdery Mildew in Wheat Based on Expressed Sequence Tags (EST) Technique

Powdery mildew is a serious disease of wheat in China. As part of ITEC (International Triteace EST cooperation), EST (expressed sequence tags) technique was used to explore the gene expression in leaf induced by Erysiphe graminis DC. A conventional cDNA library was constructed, and a total of 1 500 clones picked randomly from the library were sequenced, three hundred and eighty_seven ESTs of them were unique, which got the Accession Number in GenBank. About 49.4% ESTs showed significant similarity to functions of known sequences in GenBank. There are 196 ESTs' with functions not able to be determined, and eighty_four ESTs were demonstrated to be novel sequences. High_density dot membranes from unique clones were produced, and several disease resistance related genes were screened by differential hybridization.

Generation and Analysis of Expressed Sequence Tags(ESTs) from Muscle Full-Length cDNA Library of Wujin Pig

Porcine skeletal muscle genes play a major role in determining muscle growth and meat quality. Construction of a full-length cDNA library is an effective way to understand the expression of functional genes in muscle tissues. In addition, novel genes for further research could be identified in the library. In this study, we constructed a full-length cDNA library from porcine muscle tissue. The estimated average size of the cDNA inserts was 1 076 bp, and the cDNA fullness ratio was 86.2%. A total of 1 058 unique sequences with 342 contigs （32.3%） and 716 singleton （67.7%） expressed sequence tags （EST） were obtained by clustering and assembling. Meanwhile, 826 （78.1%） ESTs were categorized as known genes, and 232 （21.9%） ESTs were categorized as unknown genes. 65 novel porcine genes that exhibit no identity in the TIGR gene index of Sus scrofa and 124 full-length sequences with unknown functions were deposited in the dbEST division of GenBank （accession numbers： EU650784-EU650788, GE843306, GH228978-GH229100）. The abundantly expressed genes in porcine muscle tissue were related to muscle fiber development, energy metabolism and protein synthesis. Gene ontology analysis showed that sequences expressed in porcine muscle tissue contained a high percentage of binding activity, catalytic activity, structural molecule activity and motor activity, which involved mainly in metabolic, cellular and developmental process, distributed mainly in intracellular region. The sequence data generated in this study would provide valuable information for identifying porcine genes expressed in muscle tissue and help to advance the study on the structure and function of genes in pigs.

Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) analysis of the ripening Vitis amurensis cv. Shuang Hong berry skins

Vitis amurensis is a valuable resource for wine production. Ripening of the grape berry is the key phase which determines the com- position of wine. To better understand the gene expression that manifest in V. amurensis berry skins during the ripening, cDNA library of V. amurensis berry skins was constructed. A total of 935 high quality ex- pressed sequence tags （ESTs） were obtained from the library. These ESTs represent 636 unigenes, including 108 contigs and 528 singletons. The EST analysis was performed and genes were assigned to functional categories according to their primary BLAST match. Of these 25.35% were involved with metabolism, 6.27% with cell rescue and defense, 6.84% energy, 11.68% protein synthesis, 18.8% protein activity regula- tion, 11.11% cell structure, 7.98% transport, 6.27% transcription and the remaining 5.7% were signal transduction. The generated ESTs were characterized by the gene ontology analysis and were categorized ac- cording to its cellular component, molecular function and biological process. In the cDNA library, some genes are relevant to the biosynthesis of anthocyanins, while some genes are related to grape berry maturation.

Generation and characterization of expressed sequence tags(ESTs) from coralloid root cDNA library of Cycas debaoensis

A normalized full-length cDNA library was constructed from the coralloid roots of Cycas debaoensis by the DSN （duplex-specific nuclease） normalization method combined with the SMART （Switching Mechanism At 5＇ end of the RNA Transcript） technique. The titer of the original cDNA library was about 1.5 × 10^6 cfu·mL^-1 and the average insertion size was about 1 kb with a high recombination rate （97%）. The 5011 high-quality expressed sequence tags （ESTs） were obtained from 5393 randomly picked cDNA clones. Clustering and assembly of ESTs resulted in 2984 unique sequences, consisting of 618 contigs and 2366 singlets. EST sequence annotation revealed that 2333 and 1901 unigenes were functionally anno- tated in the NCBI non-redundant database and Swiss-Prot protein database, respectively. Functional analysis demonstrated that 1495 （50.1%） unigenes were associated with 4082 Gene Ontology （GO） terms. A total of 847 unigenes were grouped into 22 Cluster of Orthologous Groups （COG） functional categories. Based on the EST dataset, 22 ESTs that encoded putative receptor-like protein kinase （RLK） genes were screened. Furthermore, a total of 94 simple sequence repeats （SSRs） were discovered, of which 20 loci were successfully amplified in C debaoensis. This study is the first EST analysis for the coralloid roots of C debaoensis and provides a valuable genomic resource for novel gene discovery, gene expression and comparative genomics, conservation and management studies as well as applications in C debaoensis and related cycad species.

Microsatellite Analysis of Expressed Sequence Tags and Development of EST-SSR Markers for Melampsora spp.

In this study,64 498 ESTs of Melampsoraspp.was assembled into 1 998 contigs,and 604SSR loci were detected on these contigs,with 736.6 bp containing one SSR on average.Among these SSRs,trinucleotide repeats were the most abundant repeats（44.70%）.As for the composition of microsatellites, AC and AT repeats were the richest motif in dinucleotide repeats,and AGT and AAG repeats were the most frequent motifs in trinucleotide repeats,whereas（AAAN） n and（AAAAN） n repeats were dominant in tetranucleotide and pentanucleotide repeats,respectively.All the dominant repeat motifs of different types of SSRs were rich in A and T.In EST sequences of Melampsoraspp.genome,microsatellites longer than 20 bp accounted for about 15.07%.It was noticeable that microsatellites were highly rich in the expressed sequences of Melampsoraspp.genome,which implied that SSRs played a significant role in triggering the gene mutation in Melampsoraspp.genome.A total of 455 SSR primers were designed according to the detected microsatellites using Primer 5.0 and Oligo 6. 0,and 30 primer pairs were randomly selected for amplification test.Among these primer pairs,27 primer pairs succeed in amplification,with a successful rate of 90%.Eight primer pairs generated polymorphic fingerprints in Melampsoraspp.collected from different poplar genotypes,accounting for 26.7% of the total primer pairs.The EST-SSR markers developed fromMelampsoraspp.EST sequences provided important marker resources for studying Melampsoraspp.from the aspects of pathogen identification and survey of genetic variation.

Analysis of expressed sequence tags from the Ulva prolifera (Chlorophyta)

In 2008, a green tide broke out before the sailing competition of the 29th Olympic Games in Qingdao. The causative species was determined to be Enteromorpha prolifera （Ulva prolifera O. F. Miiller）, a familiar green macroalga along the coastline of China. Rapid accumulation of a large biomass of floating U. prolifera prompted research on different aspects of this species. In this study, we constructed a nonnormalized cDNA library from the thalli of U. prolifera and acquired 10072 high-quality expressed sequence tags （ESTs）. These ESTs were assembled into 3 519 nonredundant gene groups, including 1 446 clusters and 2 073 singletons. After annotation with the nr database, a large number of genes were found to be related with chloroplast and ribosomal protein, GO functional classification showed 1 418 ESTs participated in photosynthesis and 1 359 ESTs were responsible for the generation of precursor metabolites and energy. In addition, rather comprehensive carbon fixation pathways were found in U. prolifera using KEGG. Some stress-related and signal transduction-related genes were also found in this study. All the evidences displayed that U. prolifera had substance and energy foundation for the intense photosynthesis and the rapid proliferation. Phylogenetic analysis of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I revealed that this green-tide causative species is most closely affiliated to Pseudendoclonium akinetum （Ulvophyceae）.

Generation and analysis of expressed sequence tags from the salt-tolerant eelgrass species, Zostera marina

Zostera marina, a monocotyledonous angiosperm, is one of the most important seagrass species. To inves- tigate the salt-tolerance mechanism and discover salt-tolerant genes in Z. marina, a cDNA library was con- structed. Single-pass sequencing of the 5＇ ends of 4 081 clones yielded 4 002 high quality expressed sequence tags （ESTs）, which were assembled into 241 contigs and 1 673 singletons, representing 1 914 unigenes. The average length of the ESTs was 582 bp, with sizes ranging from 100-1 500 bp. Basic Local Alignment Search Tool （BLASTX） analysis revealed that 1 664 unigenes had significant homology to known genes in the Na- tional Center for Biotechnology Information （NCBI） non-redundant （nr） database （E-value≤5-10）. Among them, the two most abundant genes encoded metallothionein （157 ESTs） and chlorophyll a/b-binding pro- tein （38 ESTs）, accounting for 7.1% and 1.7% of the total ESTs, respectively. Using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG）, 1 462 unigenes were assigned to 1 161 pathways （E-value≤5-10）. A total of 938 unigenes were assigned Gene Ontology （GO） terms based on the GO hierarchy analysis, and InterProScan searches recognized 1 003 InterPro families. Three genes for metallothionein in Z. marina that belonged to Class II was identified. Results of this study will improve understanding of the molecular mechanisms of saline tolerance in Z. marina.

Development and Validation of 89 Novel Expressed Sequence Tag-Derived Microsatellite Markers in Blood Clam,Tegillarca granosa

Blood clam, Tegillarca granosa, is an important shellfish in Chinese mariculture industry. Investigative research in this species, such as genetic linkage mapping, requires a large panel of molecular markers. In present study, a total of 89 polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed in T. granosa using the sequence database of Life Sciences Technology 454 next generation sequencing technology. All 89 loci were characterized in 20 individual clams from a natural population inhabiting Yueqing Gulf, Zhejiang Province, China. The number of alleles per polymorphic locus varied between 2 and 15, while the observed heterozygosity, expected heterozygosity and polymorphic information content varied between 0.000 and 1.000, 0.102 and 0.921, and 0.048 and 0.886, respectively. Of the 89 loci identified, 32 loci deviated significantly from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium following Bonferroni correction. Thirty nine markers, which were shown to be polymorphic in a full-sibling family, were tested in Mendelian segregations. As expected, 32 loci were co-dominantly segregated in a Mendelian fashion. These novel developed microsatellite markers represent useful research tools for investigation of population genetic structure and genetic diversity in this species.

Analysis of Expressed Sequence Tags from Liver Tissue in Swine

In order to study the expression of function gene and its effect on metabolic control and other physiological function in liver, 438 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were determined, which were from a cD-NA library of porcine liver tissue. The results showed that the nucleotide sequences of 186 ESTs have already presented in GenBank database, and 37 ESTs could be found the homology with human and other species, while the others were not identified. 45 full length insertion of the clones randomly isolated from cDNA library were also completely sequenced with different size, and the results showed that 19 of them were function-known genes, 11 had no open reading frame ( ORF )at all and 15 had ORF but the function were not elucidated yet.

Characterization of genic microsatellite markers derived from expressed sequence tags in Pacific abalone (Haliotis discus hannai)

Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were developed from the expressed sequence tags (ESTs) of Pacific abalone (Haliotis discus hannai).Repeat motifs were found in 4.95% of the ESTs at a frequency of one repeat every 10.04 kb of EST sequences,after redundancy elimination.Seventeen polymorphic EST-SSRs were developed.The number of alleles per locus varied from 2-17,with an average of 6.8 alleles per locus.The expected and observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.159 to 0.928 and from 0.132 to 0.922,respectively.Twelve of the 17 loci (70.6%) were successfully amplified in H.diversicolor.Seventeen loci segregated in three families,with three showing the presence of null alleles (17.6%).The adequate level of variability and low frequency of null alleles observed in H.discus hannai,together with the high rate of transportability across Haliotis species,make this set of EST-SSR markers an important tool for comparative mapping,marker-assisted selection,and evolutionary studies,not only in the Pacific abalone,but also in related species.

Isolation, Identification of Differentially Expressed Sequence Tags in the Backfat Tissue from Meishan, Large White and MeishanLarge White Cross Pigs

In order to detect the molecular mechanism of heterosis in pigs, the mRNA differential display technique was performedto investigate the differences of gene expression in the backfat tissue from Meishan, Large White and MeishanLargeWhite cross pigs. Nine 3'-end anchored primers in combination with ten 5'-end arbitrary primers were used to perform thedifferential display PCR and nearly 3 000 reproducible bands were examined. Fifteen expressed sequence tags that weredifferentially expressed were isolated and then identified through semi-quantitative RT-PCR. BLAST analysis revealedthat the fifteen expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were not homologous to any of the known porcine genes or ESTs. Thesenovel ESTs were then submitted to GenBank.

Analysis of Simple Sequence Repeats Information from Floral Expressed Sequence Tags Resources of Papaya (<i>Carica papaya</i>L.)

Papaya (Carica papaya L.) is one of the most economically, medicinally and nutritionally important tropical fruit crops. Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) derived simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers are more valuable as they are derived from conserved genic portion. Development of EST-SSRs markers through in silico approach is cheaper, less time consuming and labour-intensive. In this study, we aimed to mine SSRs and developed EST-SSR primers from papaya floral ESTs. A total of 75,846 papaya floral ESTs were downloaded from public database National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). A total of 26,039 floral unigenes (7961 contigs and 18,078 singletons) were generated after assembly of these ESTs. From these floral unigenes, 433,782 perfect SSRs, 204,968 compound SSRs and 6061 imperfect SSRs were mined, respectively. In perfect SSRs, mononucleotide repeats were most abundant (94.7%) followed by tri- (3.1%) and di-nucleotide repeats (1.7%). The frequencies of tetra-, hexa- and penta-nucleotide repeats accounted for only (0.17%), (0.04%) and (0.03%), respectively. In mononucleotide repeats, the most abundant motif was A/T (69.3%) and in di- and tri-nucleotide repeats were AG/CT (61%) and AAG/CTT (31%), respectively. In imperfect SSRs, mononucleotide repeats (56.5%) were most abundant. 176 different types of motifs were identified. A total of 3807 primer pairs for floral papaya ESTs were successfully designed. These developed EST-SSR primers are being used for the genetic improvement of papaya such as study of cross-transferability across genera/species, evaluation of genetic diversity, and identification of sex-specific markers. These EST derived SSRs can also be used in filling gaps in existing linkage maps in papaya.

Novel expressed sequence tags of an alpine-cold plant species,Gymnadenia conopsea (Orchidaceae)

Gymnadenia conopsea,an alpine Orchidaceae plant,was one of the widely used Tibetan traditional medicines.In this study,we sequenced total 105 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from a full-length cDNA expression library constructed by the Oligo-capping technique.The further bioinformatic analyses suggested that the 65 represented unique sequences showed high homology to previously identified genes in other plants:30 sequences matched to other uncharacterized expressed sequence tags (ESTs),and 10 sequences showed no good matches to available sequences in DNA databases.Gene ontology annotation by InterProScan indicated that many of these cDNAs (7 percent) have no known molecular functions and may be unique to G.conopsea.Fifty-five ESTs with matched proteins were involved in a series of diverse functions,in which molecular function such as 'binding' (42.9 percent) and 'catalytic activity' (25.0 percent) were the most frequent functions of the cDNAs.This cDNA library provided a critical basis for further investigation of functional genes expression under cold stress in this alpine species.In addition,13 ESTs-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers were designed and can also be used for genotypic identification and for the genetic diversity analysis of G.conopsea and its closely related species.

基于EST-SSR标记的沙棘品种鉴定及指纹图谱构建

以沙棘(Hippophae rhamnoides)优良品种“实优1号”为材料,对其叶片进行转录组测序,利用微卫星识别软件(microsatellite identification tool,MISA)和Primer 3(version 2.3.4)对获得的序列进行简单重复序列(simple sequence repeat,SSR)位点挖掘和引物设计,以收集的42份沙棘品种为研究材料,开展聚合酶链式反应(PCR)和毛细管电泳检测,旨在开发一套多态性高、稳定性好和通用性强的表达序列标签微卫星(express sequence tags from simple sequence repeat,EST-SSR)引物,构建沙棘指纹图谱,从而实现沙棘品种的快速准确鉴定,并对沙棘品种间亲缘关系进行分析。“实优1号”转录组测序共获得6196个SSR位点,其中,重复基元类型为182种,SSR基序长度主要分布在10~21 bp区间,占全部SSR的81.58%,主要SSR重复类型为单核苷酸重复(48.72%)、二核苷酸重复(22.68%)和三核苷酸重复(18.85%)。利用筛选出的28对引物在42份沙棘品种中共检测出193个等位基因,等位基因数(Na)、有效等位基因数(Ne)、观测杂合度(Ho)、期望杂合度(He)、多态信息含量(PIC)和Shannon信息指数(I)等遗传多样性参数的均值分别为6.964、3.495、0.617、0.671、0.623和1.384。UPGMA聚类分析表明,42份沙棘品种间的遗传相似性系数为0.601~0.990,当遗传相似性系数为0.694时,供试品种可分为2组;当遗传相似性系数约为0.7402时,供试品种可分为3组。优选6对引物构建指纹图谱,可以实现沙棘品种的快速准确鉴定。该研究可为沙棘的良种鉴定、指纹图谱构建以及遗传多样性和亲缘关系分析等提供分子水平的理论基础和数据支撑。

Primarily screening and analyzing ESTs differentially expressed in rats' primary liver cancer

Objective： To screen and analyze key express sequence tags （ESTs） which were differentially displayed in every period of SD rats＇ primary hepatic carcinoma and reveal the molecular mechanism of carcinogenesis. Methods： Using diethylnitrosamine （DENA） as a cancerigenic agent, animal models with different phases of primary hepatic cancer were constructed in SD rats. Rats were respectively sacrificed at d 14, d 28, d 56, d 77, d 105 and d 112 after the rats received DENA by gavage, then the livers were harvested. One part of the livers was classified according to their pathological changes, while the other was reserved for molecular mechanism studies on hepatocarcinogenesis. The differentially expressed genes were isolated from both normal and morbid tissues by mRNA differential display technique （DDRT-PCR）. After the fragments were sequenced, bioinformatics were .used to analyze the results. Results： Twelve differentially expressed cDNA fragments were obtained. Nine fragments had the homology with known cDNA clones, especially EST-7 was similar to BN/SsNHsdMCW mitochondrion gene and the identity was 100% which suggested EST-7 may be the part of BN/SsNHsdMCW mitochondrion gene. In contrast, other three fragments （EST-1, EST-3 and EST-5） had extremely low identity to any genes registered in GENBANK databases. Conclusions： BN/SsNHsdMCW mitochondrion gene was expressed in different periods of hepatocarcinogenesis. Moreover, EST-I, EST-3 and EST-5 were suggested to contribute to the development of rat hepatocarcinogenesis, and thus may be candidates of new targets of oncogenes or cancer suppressor genes.

Full-length transcriptome sequence and SSR marker development for genetic diversity research in yellowfin seabream Acanthopagrus latus

Yellowfin seabream Acanthopagrus latus is an important economic fish in Chinese coastal areas.Given its narrow distribution and overfishing,the genetic diversity of yellowfin seabream has been restricted for artificial breeding and reproduction.We performed full-length transcriptome sequencing and assembly of the genome of yellowfin seabream.A total of 68086 unigenes were obtained,with an N50 of 3391 bp on average length of 2933 bp.A total number of 50593 expressed sequence tags linked to simple sequence repeats(EST-SSR)were identified,among them dinucleotide repeats(40.6%)and AC/GT motifs(38.5%)were the most frequent.Of the 190 EST-SSRs for which PCR primer pairs were designed,150 primer pairs successfully amplified target loci and 15 SSRs showed high polymorphism.The alleles per locus ranged 6-50 on average of 25.3.The expected and observed heterozygosity varied from 0.632 to 0.969 and from 0.519 to 0.953,respectively.The polymorphic index content(PIC)values of each locus ranged 0.587-0.966 on average of 0.851.Among six yellowfin seabream population samples preliminarily tested for genetic diversity and differentiation,the Fangchenggang(FCG)population in Guangxi Province had the highest mean observed heterozygosity(H_(o))value(0.786),whereas the Zhangzhou(ZZ)population in Fujian Province had the lowest(0.678).The pairwise fixation index(Fst)values indicated significant population differentiation among six yellowfin seabream populations.This study provided evidence for the usefulness of the transcriptomic resource information and EST-SSR markers for natural resource conservation,population genetics,and breeding studies of yellowfin seabream in South China.

Screening microsatellite markers from EST sequences of bay scallop Argopecten irradians

Seventy-five simple sequence repeats （SSRs） were identified by the bioinformatic analysis from 5008 expressed sequence tags （ESTs） of Argopecten irradians. Among the SSRs, the number of repeat nucleotide varied from 2 to 6. Dinucleotide and trinueleotide repeat motifs were dominant in EST-SSRs of bay scallop, with a proportion of 80% over the total screened SSRs. Twenty-nine pairs of primer were designed based on the flank sequences of the selected ESTs using the software of Primet 5, and verified under the given PCR reaction condition. Eighteen of the 29 primer pairs resulted in the expected products, while the remaining either failed to produce any fragments or yielded products over expected size. Thirteen of the 18 SSRs, accounting for 72%, were detected to show polymorphism in the examined scallop samples. A preliminary test in this study indicated that the majority of the identified SSRs were informative in the cultured bay scallops, making them suitable for the population and other genetic analysis. EST-SSR markers have more advantages than the traditional genomic-derived SSRs and there is a wide range of application in comparative mapping, functional gene cloning and marker assisted selection. This research provides a reference to the identification of EST-SSRs with relative bioinformatic analysis from aquaculture species, as well as to those with a large number of ESTs.

Confirmation of Pearl Millet-Napiergrass Hybrids Using EST-Derived Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) Markers

Prospects for deploying perennial grasses that are currently considered leading candidates for dedicated energy crops over large acreages are debatable because of several limitations, including vegetative propagation or small seed size, low biomass production during the first growing season, and incomplete assessments of crop invasiveness risk. Pearl Millet-Napiergrass hybrids (“PMN”;Pennisetum glaucum [L.] R. Br. × P. purpureum Schumach.), in contrast, are large-seeded, sterile feedstocks capable of high biomass production during establishment year. Novel methods are warranted for confirmation of PMN hybrids, as traditional morphological observations can be inconclusive and chromosome number determination using cytological methods is laborious and time consuming. Six putative PMN lines were produced in this study, and 10 progeny from each line were evaluated using morphological traits, seed fertility, flow cytometry, and expressed sequence tag-simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers. All putative hybrid lines were sterile and failed to produce seed. The PMN hybrids could not be distinguished from either parent using flow cytometry due to highly similar nuclear genome DNA contents. A number of paternal napiergrass-specific EST-SSRs were identified for each PMN line, and four paternal-specific EST-SSRs conserved across all napiergrass accessions were selected to screen the putative PMN hybrids. These EST-SSRs confirmed that all F1 individuals analyzed were PMN hybrids. The use of paternal-specific markers therefore provides a valuable tool in the development of both “Seeded-yet-Sterile” biofuel PMN feedstocks and additional PMN cultivar-and parental species-specific markers.

Analysis of expressed sequence tags （ESTs） from a normalized cDNA library and isolation of EST simple sequence repeats from the invasive cotton mealybug Phenacoccus solenopsis

The cotton mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley, is a serious and invasive pest. At present, genetic resources for studying P. solenopsis are limited, and this negatively affects genetic research on the organism and, consequently, translational work to improve management of this pest. In the present study, expressed sequence tags （ESTs） were analyzed from a normalized complementary DNA library of/？. solenopsis. In addition, EST-derived microsatellite loci （also known as simple sequence repeats or SSRs） were isolated and characterized. A total of 1107 high-quality ESTs were acquired from the library. Clustering and assembly analysis resulted in 785 unigenes, which were classified functionally into 23 categories according to the Gene Ontology database. Seven EST-based SSR markers were developed in this study and are expected to be useful in characterizing how this invasive species was introduced, as well as providing insights into its genetic microevolution.

Identification of Differentially Expressed Genes in the Salivary Gand of Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides by the Suppression Subtractive Hybridization Approach

For the purpose of screening and analyzing the differentially expressed genes from the salivary gland of Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides, two salivary gland-subtracted cDNA libraries of partially fed female ticks and fed male ticks were constructed using suppression subtractive hybridization （SSH）. A total of 247 female expression sequence tags （ESTs） and 168 male ESTs were obtained from the two SSH cDNA libraries. It is predicted that 25 female ESTs and 44 female ESTs contain the 5＂ and 3＂ ends, respectively, and that 53 male ESTs and 74 male ESTs contain the 5＂ and 3＂ ends, respectively. To identify the subtraction rate of the two SSH cDNA libraries, the RT-PCR method was used to test 24 female ESTs and 21 male ESTs selected randomly but not repeatedly. The results showed that there were 13 upregulated or differentially expressed genes in the partially fed salivary gland of the female R. haemaphysaloides and that the differentially expressed rate was 54%. In addition, they indicated that there were 9 upregulated or differently expressed genes in the fed salivary gland of the male R. haemaphysaloides and that the differentially expressed rate was 43%. Putative translations of 141 （57%） female ESTs and 125 （74%） male ESTs had similarity to GenBank sequences, and 32 （23%） female ESTs and 29 （23%） male ESTs exhibited similarity to tick proteins, which showed that most of the proteins in the libraries were mainly related to the feeding blood physiology of the ticks.