A cDNA Clone for the 5' Exon of Chloroplast ATP Synthase Subunit I Gene (atpF) from Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. Italica) and Its Expression Pattern

We isolated a cDNA clone, BLSC1, encoding 5' exon of ATP synthase CF0 subunit I from broccoli. BLSC1 is 285 nucleotides long which consists of a 5' noncoding region of 34 nucleotides, a 5' exon of 145 nucleotides and an intron of 106 nucleotides. The 5' exon codes for 48 amino acids which reveals mostly hydrophobic. The amino acid sequence deduced from BLSC1 shares 83%, 83% and 91% identities with the genes coding for atpF from wheat, rice and spinach, respectively. Genomic Southern blot analysis for BLSC1 showed a typically strong signal for a gene located in the chloroplast genome. Northern blot analysis identified three major classes of transcripts showing strong positive signals in the leaves, but only trace amounts of the transcripts were identified in the other organs like stems, flowr buds and roots.