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Cloning and Expression Study of Leucoanthocyanidin Reductase Gene (CaLAR) from Camellia assamica

Zaman A, Gogoi M, Kalita MC and Bandyopadhyay T

Leucoanthocyanidin reductase (LAR) is one of the downstream enzymes of the flavonoid pathway in plants. This gene is known to have a positive correlation with catechin accumulation, a type of flavonoid compound. The present work aimed at isolating the LAR gene from a Camellia assamica cultivar and studying its expression pattern in the shoot tips and roots through quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction. qRT-PCR analysis showed a 0.6-fold increase in expression of LAR in roots than the shoot tips. A full-length cDNA of this gene having an ORF of 1029 bp was cloned into a heterologous host (Escherichia coli) followed by protein expression study. The expressed protein showed a molecular weight of ~ 50 kD. Further study is required to elucidate the role of LAR gene in accumulation of catechins by comparing the gene expression with catechin concentration.