Isolation of a zeta class wheat glutathione S-transferase gene

A new Zeta class glutathione S-transferases (GST) gene, pGST, has been cloned from wheat for the first time by the differential display PCR (DD-PCR) method. The genomic sequence of pGST, TA-GSTZ1, contains nine exons that encode a polypeptide of 213 amino acids and eight introns. The deduced amino acid sequence of TA-GSTZ1 as well as the exon:intron placement are more similar to the GSTs of the Zeta class than to the two wheat GSTs reported earlier. The pGST cDNA gene product expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by affinity chromatography showed typical Zeta class GST and glutathione peroxidase activities. Sequence polymorphism in the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of TA-GSTZ1 gene in wheat has been discovered. In this study, an 89 bp sequence is present in the 3' UTR of TA-GSTZ1gene in 16 wheat cultivars but absent in the other five. Although the biological importance of this polymorphism is unknown, it can be useful as a genetic marker in wheat breeding.