Molecular cloning and expression of a cDNA encoding Lon protease from rice (Oryza sativa)

The ATP-dependent Lon protease is a highly conserved enzyme that is present in archeae, eubacteria, and eukaryotes, and plays an important role in intracellular protein degradation. We have isolated a Lon protease gene, OsLon1, from Oryza sativa. The cDNA contained a 2,655 bp ORF. Comparative analysis showed that OsLon1 shared significant similarity with the previously reported Lon proteases from maize, Arabidopsis, human, and bacteria. Tissue expression pattern analysis revealed that OsLon1 was highly expressed in young leaves, mature leaves, and leaf sheaths but only weakly in young roots, mature roots, and young panicles. The OsLon1 gene was successfully expressed in E. coli and the detected protein size, about 120 kDa, matched the expected molecular mass of the His-tagged OsLon1 protein.