Objective  VcILR1 of blueberry was cloned to analyze the expressions in various plant organs as well as after being treated by gibberellin to decipher its function and association with ovule abortion.

  Method  Using the cDNA of blueberry as the template, VcILR1 was cloned by RT-PCR. Bioinformatics on the amino acid sequence was performed utilizing ProtParam and other relevant tools. Expressions of the gene in the flowers, leaves, stems, fruits, and roots of the plant as well as those in green and ripe fruits after being treated by gibberellin were determined.

  Result  VcILR1 was successfully cloned and found to contain 976 bp ORF encoding 325 amino acids with two conserved structural domains, peptidase_M20 and M20_dimer, a molecular mass of 35364.20 kDa, a theoretical isoelectric point of 5.67, an instability coefficient of 43.57, and a lipid coefficient of 88.55. It was an unstable protein with a hydrophilic mean value of −0.054. A phylogenetic tree analysis showed the gene to closely relate to Camellia sinensis IAA-Leucine Resistant 1-like (ILL) gene. The qRT-PCR analysis revealed that the gene was expressed tissue-specific with the highest in the leaves, and that the gibberellin treatment up-regulated the expression in the fruits.

  Conclusion  The expressions of VcILR1 in the blueberries significantly increased after being treated by gibberellin. It suggested that the plant hormone could stimulate IAA generation in the fruits and might also affect the ovule development.