Cloning and nucleotide sequence of a leaf ferredoxin-nitrite reductase cDNA of rice

A ferredoxin-nitrite reductase (EC 1.7.7.1) cDNA was isolated and sequenced from a lambda gt 11 cDNA library constructed from nitrate-induced greening shoots of rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings. The nucleotide sequence of the cDNA clone contains an open reading frame of 1788 nucleotides. There exists a strong bias for the third codon usage of G/C (95.5%) as in the case of the maize enzyme. The deduced amino acid sequence shows an overall homology to the maize (81%) and the dicot enzymes (70-74%), suggesting that the primary structure of ferredoxin-nitrite reductase is highly conserved in higher plants.