Cloning and characterization of thioredoxin h in the three-pistil line of common wheat.

Thioredoxin h (Trxh) is a ubiquitous protein that reduces disulfides in target proteins, and is itself reduced by NADPH-thioredoxin reductase. In the current study, the complementary DNA sequence and the genomic sequence of the three-pistil (TP) line of common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were obtained from spikes through reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and touchdown-PCR. Sequence alignment of amino acids of TPTrxh then allowed for predictions of its physicochemical properties, secondary structures, tertiary structures, and functional domains. Furthermore, the TPTrxh gene was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and its activity was demonstrated using a dithiothreitol-dependent insulin assay. The expression patterns of TPTrxh were analyzed through real-time RT-PCR in different tissues and across different developmental stages of young spikes. The complementary DNA of TPTrxh was found to be 411 bp in length, encoding 118 amino acids. Its genomic sequence was determined to be 2632 bp, possessing 3 exons and 2 introns. Functional domain analysis indicated that TPTrxh contained a WCGPC motif located at the end of the second β-fold and on the initial side of the second α-helix. The TPTrxh protein reduces intramolecular and intermolecular disulfide bridges in target proteins. Young spikes contain higher levels of TPTrxh transcripts than do stems and leaves. The transcript levels in the young spikes (2-5 mm in length) of the Chinese Spring TP line increased 2.84-fold relative to those of young spikes (2-5 mm in length) of the Chinese Spring line. These data provide a basis for future research into the function of Trxh, and offer further insight into the molecular mechanism of the TP mutation in wheat.