Expressed sequence tags of Chinese cabbage flower bud cDNA

We randomly selected and partially sequenced cDNA clones from a library of Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L. ssp. pekinensis) flower bud cDNAs. Out of 1216 expressed sequence tags (ESTs), 904 cDNA clones were unique or nonredundant. Five hundred eighty-eight clones (48.4%) had sequence homology to functionally defined genes at the peptide level. Only 5 clones encoded known flower-specific proteins. Among the cDNAs with no similarity to known protein sequences (628), 184 clones had significant similarity to nucleotide sequences registered in the databases. Among these 184 clones, 142 exhibited similarities at the nucleotide level only with plant ESTs. Also, sequence similarities were evident between these 142 ESTs and their matching ESTs when compared using the deduced amino acid sequences. Therefore, it is possible that the anonymous ESTs encode plant-specific ubiquitous proteins. Our extensive EST analysis of genes expressed in floral organs not only contributes to the understanding of the dynamics of genome expression patterns in floral organs but also adds data to the repertoire of all genomic genes.