Isolation of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase gene from Oncidium Gower Ramsey

A full-length cDNA of a 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase (ACS) family member from Oncidium, named OnACS1 (GenBank accession No. JQ822087) was cloned and characterized by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and rapid amplification of cDNA ends technology. The full-length cDNA was 1586 bp, including a 1308-bp open reading frame, a 105-bp 5' untranslated region (UTR), and 173-bp 3' UTR, encoding 436 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence of OnACS1 shares 85, 84, and 83% homology with ACS proteins of Cattleya bicolor, Dendrobium crumenatum, and Phalaenopsis hybrid, respectively. Prokaryotic expression and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that a specific band was produced and was consistent with the predicted protein size. A tissue-specific manner of OnACS1 expression was observed, and it was predominantly expressed in the gynostemium. The OnACS1 expression in the sepals and gynandria was upregulated by 1% ethephon treatment.