Molecular Cloning and Sequence Analysis of the Carotenoid Isomerase Gene in Yellow-Flower Chinese Kale

Carotenoid isomerase (CRTISO) is an important enzyme in carotenoid biosynthesis. Here, the Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra CRTISO (BoaCRTISO) gene was cloned from yellow-flower Chinese kale, and preformed for sequence analysis. The BoaCRTISO gene contains an open reading frame of 1,773 bp that encodes a 590-amino acid protein with a calculated molecular mass of 64.88 kD and an isoelectric point (pI) of 6.72. Subcellular localization predicted the BoaCRTISO gene was in the chloroplast. The conserved domain of the BoaCRTISO protein is Rossmann-fold NAD (P) H/NAD (P) (+) binding (NADB) domain. Homology analysis indicates that the CRTISO protein is apparently conserved during plant evolution and is most closely related to B. napus, and B. rapa. The findings of the present study provide a molecular basis for the elucidation of CRTISO gene function in Chinese kale.