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Cloning and Expression Analysis of ChChlH Gene in Cymbidium hybrid

LIN Rong-yan, KONG Lan, WU Jian-she, LIN Bing, ZHONG Huai-qin()   

  1. Crop Research Institute (Fujian Provincial Germplasm Resource Center), Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fujian Engineering Research Center for Characteristic Floriculture, Fuzhou, 350013
  • Received:2025-12-12 Online:2026-06-10
  • Contact: ZHONG Huai-qin E-mail:zhqeast@163.com

Abstract:

Objective The magnesium chelatase H subunit gene (ChlH) was cloned from Cymbidium hybrid, and its expression patterns and function were analyzed, thereby providing important insights into the regulatory role of the ChlH gene in leaf color variation in Cymbidium hybrid. Method The ChChlH gene sequence was cloned by RT-PCR and RACE, followed by bioinformatics analysis. The promoter sequence of the ChChlH gene was obtained via genome walking, and its cis-acting elements were analyzed. The expression patterns of ChChlH in different tissues and different cultivars were examined using RT-qPCR. Furthermore, the effect of ChChlH silencing on leaf color variation in Nicotiana tabacum was verified using a virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) system. Result The full-length sequence of ChChlH is 4 321 bp, with a coding region of 4 155 bp encoding 1 384 amino acids, and its GenBank accession number is OL741687.1. Bioinformatics analysis indicates that the ChChlH protein might be a hydrophilic and unstable protein, lacking a signal peptide and transmembrane domains, and belongs to the PLN03069 superfamily. ChChlH showed high affinity with the ChlH protein from Dendrobium catenatum, which is known to interact with ChlI and ChlD. Promoter analysis revealed that the ChChlH promoter contains light-responsive elements, as well as cis-acting elements involved in responses to abscisic acid, ethylene, gibberellin, salicylic acid, and methyl jasmonate, along with MYB and WRKY transcription factor binding sites. Expression analysis showed that ChChlH was highly expressed in leaves, with significantly higher transcript levels in green leaf areas than in variegated regions. Silencing of ChChlH in N. tabacum led to a significant reduction in photosynthetic pigment content and ChlH expression in older leaves. Conclusion The study clarified the sequence and expression pattern of the ChChlH gene, which may play an important role in chlorophyll synthesis and the variation of leaf color.

Key words: Cymbidium hybrid, magnesium chelatase H subunit gene, gene cloning, bioinformatics analysis, expression analysis