Cloning and Expression Analysis on BoBURP2 Gene of Brassica oleracea var. italica

A plant-specific protein, BURP plays an important role in the growth, development, and stress response of a plant. In this study, a BURP gene designated as BoBURP2 was isolated from broccoli, Brassica oleracea var. italica, using PCR. The gene sequencing showed its genome DNA was 1 218 bp with a single intron. The complete coding sequence was 840 bp in length, encoding 279 amino acids. It shared a high homology with RD22, which is also a member of the BURP family. Phylogenetic analysis on BoBURP2 showed its sequence to be highly similar to those of B. oleracea, B. rapa, and B. napus. They could possibly be grouped in a same clade. On the other hand, the low similarity it shared with the sequence of Tarenaya hassleriana suggested a remote relationship between them. The RT-PCR results indicated the expression of BoBRUP2 was induced by both NaCl and drought stresses, with the highest levels detected at 24 h and 48 h. The cloning and expression analysis on BoBURP2 provided the information for further studies on the identification of its genetic function as well as the molecular breeding for stress resistant B. oleracea var. italica.