[Isolation and characterization of BcMF3, a gene expressed only in maintainer line in Chinese cabbage-pak-choi (Brassica campestris L. ssp. chinensis Makino var. communis Tsen et lee)].

Expression profiling was performed using cDNA-AFLP technology on floral buds of a genic male sterile line (A line) and a maintainer line (B line) in Chinese cabbage pak-choi (Brassica campestris L. ssp. chinensis Makino var. communis Tsen et Lee cv. Aijiaohuang). A differentially expressed cDNA fragment, BA18-T16, was obtained via selective amplification with A18/T16 primer pair. BA18-T16 was specifically associated with the maintainer line, and was expressed only in floral buds revealed by half-quantitative RT-PCR. The 3' end and 5' end sequences of BA18-T16 were obtained by 3' and 5' RACE amplification and the full cDNA,designated as BcMF3, is 2082 bp long containing a 1755 bp open reading frame. BcMF3 shares high homology with Bp19, a pectin methylesterase from Brassica rapa L. with 99% identity at nucleotide level and 85% identity at amino acid level. Suggesting that BcMF3 most likely encodes a pectin methylesterase in Chinese cabbage pak-choi.