Molecular cloning and expression of a novel eukaryotes elongation factor1A gene (ZjeEF-1α) from Chinese jujube in response to phytoplasma infection

Eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1A (eEF1A) in plant is a multifunctional protein. In our previous study, we identified a 651-bp EST sequence of eEF-1α from a suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) library of Chinese jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.), which was established under jujube witches' broom (JWB) phytoplasma stress. Here we isolated the eEF1A gene (ZjeEF-1α, JF488063) from Chinese jujube by single oligonucleotide nested (SON)-PCR and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). ZjeEF-1α contains an open reading frame (ORF) of 1344 bp, encoding a polypeptide of 447 amino acids with an estimated molecular mass of 49.29 kDa and a theoretical pI of 9.10. ZjeEF-1α shared over 92% similarity with eEF-1α proteins from other 24 eukaryotes including plants and animals. Search Pfam predicted that ZjeEF-1A contains three typical eEF1A functional domains. Moreover, the corresponding genomic sequence of ZjeEF-1α was also sequenced, in which a 115-bp intervening sequence with splicing site GT-AG was found. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and western blotting assays revealed that the expression of ZjeEF-1α was enhanced in resistant cultivar 'Xingguang' and decreased in sensitive cultivar 'Zanhuangdazao' at early stages of phytoplasma infection. It is proved that ZjeEF-1A expression is early response to phytoplasma infection and its possible functions in resistant process to JWB phytoplasma are discussed.