Cloning and characteristics of a novel gene HbUEP from latex in Hevea brasiliensis

Based on employing differentially ethphon-induced expressed cDNA subtracted library resulted from latex in rubber trees(Hevea brasiliensis), HbUEP gene, an ubiquitin extension protein gene from latex in H.brasiliensis (GenBank accession No.EF120638) was cloned and sequenced. HbUEP gene cDNA had 771 bp nucleotides, comprising 226 bp-length 3'UTR, 77 bp-length 5'UTR and a 468 bp-length open reading frame encoding 156 amino acid peptide. Southern blotting analysis showed that this gene was a kind of low-copy genes in H. brasiliensis genomic. Within 24 h after application of ethphon HbUEP gene lowly expressed in both control and 6 h-sampled latex,and strongly in 12 h-sampled latex, showing that this gene expression could be regulated by ethphon and ethphon could increase the latex yield in H.brasiliensis. It is suggested that HbUEP gene may be involved in the regulation of ethphon-induced high latex yield in H.brasiliensis.