Cloning and gene expression analysis of vitamin E biosynthesis related genes in Hevea brasiliensis

Abstract

Vitamin E in the latex of Hevea brasiliensis act as an antioxidant of natural rubber products. H. brasiliensis contains two groups of isomers of vitamin E, tocopherols and tocotrienols. Tocopherols are abundant in mature leaves, while tocotrienols are in the latex. However, their biosynthesis pathways and related genes are unknown in H. brasiliensis. In this research, we obtained ten candidate genes of vitamin E biosynthesis from our EST database and confirmed their gene expression pattern in various tissues using real-time PCR. We successfully obtain homogentisate geranylgeranyltransferase (HGGT) from dicotyledonous plant for the first time. Our results suggest that homogentisate geranylgeranyltransferase (HGGT) and homogentisate phytyltransferase (HPT) control each tocopherol and tocotrienol biosynthesis.