Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1184993 | Food Chemistry | 2010 | 9 Pages |
Tsai Tai (Brassicachinensis) is produced mainly in China but also consumed overseas. The stems of Tsai Tai are subject to toughening due to lignification. Cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD) is a key enzyme involved in lignin biosynthesis. Three full-length CAD cDNAs were isolated, encoding proteins of 288, 323, and 323 amino acids, respectively. Sequence analysis showed that they share a highly conserved putative NAD/NADP(H)-binding site at the amino terminus. All the three BcCAD genes responded to 1-MCP and ethylene within 2 h. Ethylene up-regulated expression of BcCAD1-1 and BcCAD2, while 1-MCP down-regulated them. Ethylene increased yellow leaves and stem lignin, and 1-MCP decreased them. These results suggest ethylene is involved in lignin growth in Tsai Tai, and induced expression of BcCAD1-1 and BcCAD2 could contribute to lignification. They also suggest removal of ethylene and application of 1-MCP could extend shelf-life and knockout of certain CAD genes could produce lines that store well.