Abstract

PEREZ, Sandra et al. GENOMIC EVALUATION OF PR1 AND TCTP GENE IN TOBACCO (Nicoatiana tabacum L.) SPECIES AND VARIETIES. Rev. Protección Veg. [online]. 2011, vol.26, n.3, pp. 164-169. ISSN 1010-2752.

The identification of novel genes related to biotic and abiotic stress in Nicotiana tabacum L. can contribute to the genetic improvement of plants around the world. The aim of this research was to identify novel genes in tobacco varieties, as well as the molecular characterization of some expressed sequences tags (ESTs) in some Cuban tobacco varieties and species. The microarray technology was used with ESTs for the construction of a cDNA library. The most interesting finding in this study was that 265 ESTs had never been reported before in vegetable species and one gene, the Transcriptional Controlled Tumor Protein (TCTP), had never been reported before in N. tabacum, with the studies about this gene being focused on human and animals mostly. The microarray results were confirmed using quantitative RT- PCR. TCTP and pathogenesis-related protein 1 (PR-1) ESTs were used to design primers for the molecular characterization of some species and Cuban tobacco varieties. In the case of TCTP, six species and four varieties were characterized, and eight varieties for PR1. TCTP was only expressed in two species (Nicotiana glutinosa L. and Nicotiana tomentosiformis Goodsp.) and PR1, after a digestion, exhibited different bands for susceptible and resistant varieties. The detection of these genes in some species and Cuban tobacco varieties is the first step to go further in the molecular characterization of Cuban germoplasm.

Keywords : Expressed sequence tag (ESTs); cDNA microarray; molecular characterization.