Isolation and Expression of Peroxidase POD1 Gene from Cucurbita pepo

A functional annotation as peroxidase (POD) gene (i.e., c47620.graph_c0) was screened from the transcriptomic sequencing of Cucurbita pepo. It was found that thesequence length was 1 245 bp, including a 996bp open reading frame (ORF) encoded a protein of 331 amino acids. The protein had a predicted molecular weight of 35.70 kDa and a hypothetical isoelectric point of 5.40. The similarity of the proteins to the homologous proteins of cucumber, melon and balsam pear were 84%, 84% and 81%, respectively, witha highly conservative nature. It was designated as CpPOD1 gene with a GenBank accession code of MF988285. The RTqPCR revealed the geneto betissue-specific, andits expression in C. pepo highest in the leaves, followed by roots and flowers. Under low temperature and dim light, the CpPOD1 expression was up-regulated over time. It suggested that the gene expression correlatedwith the low temperature/dim light stress as C. pepo regulated the downstream responses. This study could lead to further understanding of the function of CpPOD1 gene inzucchinion cold-and-low-lighttolerance and the regulation mechanism providing evidence and theoretical basis for improved breeding of C. pepo.