The construction of a cDNA library enriched for immune genes and the analysis of 7535 ESTs from Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis

Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis is one of the most important aquaculture crustacean species in China. A cDNA library was constructed from hemocytes of E. sinensis challenged with the mixture of Listonella anguillarum and Staphylococcus aureus, and randomly sequenced to collect genomic information and identify genes involved in immune defense response. Single-pass 5' sequencing of 10368 clones yielded 7535 high quality ESTs (Expressed Sequence Tags) and these ESTs were assembled into 2943 unigenes. BLAST analysis revealed that 1706 unigenes (58.0% of the total) or 4593 ESTs (61.0% of the total) were novel genes that had no significant matches to any protein sequences in the public databases. The rest 1237 unigenes; (42.0% of the total) were closely matched to the known genes or sequences deposited in public databases, which could be classed into 20 or 23 classifications according to "molecular function" or "biological process" respectively based on the Gene Ontology (GO). And 221 unigenes (7.5% of all 2943 unigenes, 17.9% of matched unigenes) or 969 ESTs (12.9% of all 7535 ESTs, 32.9% of matched ESTs) were identified to be immune genes. The relative higher proportion of immune-related genes in the present cDNA library than that in the normal library of E. sinensis and other crustaceans libraries, and the differences and changes in percentage and quantity of some key immune-related genes especially the immune inducible genes between two E. sinensis cDNA libraries may derive from the bacteria challenge to the Chinese mitten crab. The results provided a well-characterized EST resource for the genomics community, gene discovery especially for the identification of host-defense genes and pathways in crabs as well as other crustaceans. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Discovery of genes involved in defense/immunity functions in a haemocytes cDNA library from Fenneropenaeus chinensis by ESTs annotation

Crustacean haemocytes play important roles in the host immune response including recognition, phagocytosis, melanization, cytotoxicity and inter-cellular signal communication. Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) analysis is proved to be an efficient approach not only for gene discovery, but also for gene expression profiles performance. In order to further understand the innate immune system and defense mechanisms of Chinese shrimp at molecular level, complementary DNA library is constructed from the haemocyte tissue of Fenneropenaeus chinensis. A total of 2371 cDNA clones are successfully sequenced and the average sequence length is 460 bp. About 50% are identified as orthologs of known genes from other organisms by BLASTx and BLASTn program. By sequences comparability and analysis, 34 important genes including 177 ESTs are identified that may be involved in defense or immune functions in shrimp based on the known knowledge. These genes are categorized into five categories according to their putative functions in shrimp immune system: 13 genes are different types of antimicrobial peptides (AMP, penaeidin, antilipopolysaccharide factor, etc.), and their proportion is about 3 8%; 11 genes belong to prophenoloxidase system (prophenoloxidase, serine proteinase, serine proteinase inhibitor, etc.), and their proportion is about 32%; five genes have high homology with clotting protein (lectin, transglutaminase, etc), and their proportion is about 15%; three genes may be involved in inter-cell signal communication (peroxinectin, integrin), and their proportion is about 9%; two genes have been identified to be chaperone proteins (Hsc70, thioredoxin peroxidase), and their proportion is about 6%. These EST sequences enrich our understanding of the immune genes of F chinensis and will help farther experimental research into immune factors and improve our knowledge of the immune mechanisms of shrimp. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterization and mapping of expressed sequence tags isolated from a subtracted cDNA library of Litopenaeus vannamei injected with white spot syndrome virus

A large number of polymorphic simple sequence repeats (SSRs) or microsatellites are needed to develop a genetic map for shrimp. However, developing an SSR map is very time-consuming, expensive, and most SSRs are not specifically linked to gene loci of immediate interest. We report here on our strategy to develop polymorphic markers using expressed sequence tags (ESTs) by designing primers flanking single or multiple SSRs with three or more repeats. A subtracted cDNA library was prepared using RNA from specific pathogen-free (SPF) Litopenaeus vannamei juveniles (similar to 1 g) collected before (0) and after (48 h) inoculation with the China isolate of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV). A total of 224 clones were sequenced, 194 of which were useful for homology comparisons against annotated genes in NCBI nonredundant (nr) and protein databases, providing 179 sequences encoded by nuclear DNA, 4 mitochondrial DNA, and 11 were similar to portions of WSSV genome. The nuclear sequences clustered in 43 groups, 11 of which were homologous to various ESTs of unknown function, 4 had no homology to any sequence, and 28 showed similarities to known genes of invertebrates and vertebrates, representatives of cellular metabolic processes such as calcium ion balance, cytoskeleton mRNAs, and protein synthesis. A few sequences were homologous to immune system-related (allergens) genes and two were similar to motifs of the sex-lethal gene of Drosophila. A large number of EST sequences were similar to domains of the EF-hand superfamily (Ca2+ binding motif and FRQ protein domain of myosin light chains). Single or multiple SSRs with three or more repeats were found in approximately 61 % of the 179 nuclear sequences. Primer sets were designed from 28 sequences representing 19 known or putative genes and tested for polymorphism (EST-SSR marker) in a small test panel containing 16 individuals. Ten (53%) of the 19 putative or unknown function genes were polymorphic, 4 monomorphic, and 3 either failed to satisfactorily amplify genomic DNA or the allele amplification conditions need to be further optimized. Five polymorphic ESTs were genotyped with the entire reference mapping family, two of them (actin, accession #CX535973 and shrimp allergen arginine kinase, accession #CX535999) did not amplify with all offspring of the IRMF panel suggesting presence of null alleles, and three of them amplified in most of the IRM F offspring and were used for linkage analysis. EF-hand motif of myosin light chain (accession #CX535935) was placed in ShrimpMap's linkage group 7, whereas ribosomal protein S5 (accession #CX535957) and troponin I (accession #CX535976) remained unassigned. Results indicate that (a) a large number of ESTs isolated from this cDNA library are similar to cytoskeleton mRNAs and may reflect a normal pathway of the cellular response after im infection with WSSV, and (b) primers flanking single or multiple SSRs with three or more repeats from shrimp ESTs could be an efficient approach to develop polymorphic markers useful for linkage mapping. Work is underway to map additional SSR-containing ESTs from this and other cDNA libraries as a plausible strategy to increase marker density in ShrimpMap.

Identification of three novel Phyllomedusa sauvagei dermaseptins (sVI-sVIII) by cloning from a skin secretion-derived cDNA library

The defensive skin secretions of many amphibians contain a wide spectrum of biologically active compounds, particularly antimicrobial peptides that act as a first line of defence against bacterial infection. Here we describe for the first time the identification of three novel dermaseptin-related peptides (dermaseptins sVI–sVIII) whose primary structures were deduced from cDNAs cloned from a library constructed from lyophilised skin secretion of the South American hylid frog, Phyllomedusa sauvagei. The molecular masses of each were subsequently confirmed by interrogation of archived LC/MS files of fractionated skin secretion followed by automated Edman degradation sequencing. The heterogeneity of primary structures encountered in amphibian skin antimicrobial peptides may in part be explained by individual variation—a factor essential for selective functional molecular evolution and perhaps, ultimately in speciation.

Molecular cloning of the helokinestatin/CNP precursor from a venom-derived cDNA library of the Mexican beaded lizard, Heloderma horridum, and identification of a novel encoded bradykinin-antagonist peptide, helokinestatin-6

Helokinestatins 1–5 represent a novel family of bradykinin antagonist peptides originally isolated from the venom of the Gila Monster, Heloderma suspectum. We found that they were encoded in tandem along with a single copy of C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP), by two different but almost identical biosynthetic precursors that were cloned from a venom-derived cDNA library. Here we have applied the same strategy to the venom of a related species, the Mexican beaded lizard, Heloderma horridum. Lyophilised venom was used as a surrogate tissue to generate a cDNA library that was interrogated with primers from the previous study and for reverse phase HPLC fractionation. The structure of a single helokinestatin precursor was obtained following sequencing of 20 different clones. The open-reading frame contained 196 amino acid residues, somewhat greater than the 177–178 residues of the corresponding helokinestatin precursors in H. suspectum. The reason for this difference in size was the insertion of an additional domain of 18 amino acid residues encoding an additional copy of helokinestatin-3. Helokinestatin-6 (GPPFNPPPFVDYEPR) was a novel peptide from this precursor identified in venom HPLC fractions. A synthetic replicate of this peptide antagonised the relaxation effect of bradykinin on rat arterial smooth muscle. The novel peptide family, the helokinestatins, have been shown to be present in the venom of H. horridum and to be encoded by a single precursor of different structure to those from H. suspectum. Studies such as this reveal the naturally-selected structures of bioactive peptides that have been optimised for purpose and provide the scientist with a natural analogue library for pharmacological investigation.

Display of a Maize cDNA library on baculovirus infected insect cells

Background: Maize is a good model system for cereal crop genetics and development because of its rich genetic heritage and well-characterized morphology. The sequencing of its genome is well advanced, and new technologies for efficient proteomic analysis are needed. Baculovirus expression systems have been used for the last twenty years to express in insect cells a wide variety of eukaryotic proteins that require complex folding or extensive posttranslational modification. More recently, baculovirus display technologies based on the expression of foreign sequences on the surface of Autographa californica ( AcMNPV) have been developed. We investigated the potential of a display methodology for a cDNA library of maize young seedlings. Results: We constructed a full-length cDNA library of young maize etiolated seedlings in the transfer vector pAcTMVSVG. The library contained a total of 2.5 x 10(5) independent clones. Expression of two known maize proteins, calreticulin and auxin binding protein (ABPI), was shown by western blot analysis of protein extracts from insect cells infected with the cDNA library. Display of the two proteins in infected insect cells was shown by selective biopanning using magnetic cell sorting and demonstrated proof of concept that the baculovirus maize cDNA display library could be used to identify and isolate proteins. Conclusion: The maize cDNA library constructed in this study relies on the novel technology of baculovirus display and is unique in currently published cDNA libraries. Produced to demonstrate proof of principle, it opens the way for the development of a eukaryotic in vivo display tool which would be ideally suited for rapid screening of the maize proteome for binding partners, such as proteins involved in hormone regulation or defence.

cDNA Library Generation for the Analysis of Small RNAs by High-Throughput Sequencing

The RNome of a cell is highly diverse and consists besides messenger RNAs (mRNAs), transfer RNAs (tRNAs), and ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) also of other small and long transcript entities without apparent coding potential. This class of molecules, commonly referred to as non-protein-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), is involved in regulating numerous biological processes and thought to contribute to cellular complexity. Therefore, much effort is put into their identification and further functional characterization. Here we provide a cost-effective and reliable method for cDNA library construction of small RNAs in the size range of 20-500 residues. The effectiveness of the described method is demonstrated by the analysis of ribosome-associated small RNAs in the eukaryotic model organism Trypanosoma brucei.

Directional cDNA library construction assisted by the in vitro recombination reaction

We report here a new directional cDNA library construction method using an in vitro site-specific recombination reaction, based on the integrase–excisionase system of bacteriophage λ. Preliminary experiments revealed that in vitro recombinational cloning (RC) provided important advantages over conventional ligation-assisted cloning: it eliminated restriction digestion for directional cloning, generated low levels of chimeric clones, reduced size bias and, in our hands, gave a higher cloning efficiency than conventional ligation reactions. In a cDNA cloning experiment using an in vitro synthesized long poly(A)+ RNA (7.8 kb), the RC gave a higher full-length cDNA clone content and about 10 times more transformants than conventional ligation-assisted cloning. Furthermore, characterization of rat brain cDNA clones yielded by the RC method showed that the frequency of cDNA clones >2 kb having internal NotI sites was ∼6%, whereas these cDNAs could not be cloned at all or could be isolated only in a truncated form by conventional methods. Taken together, these results indicate that the RC method makes it possible to prepare cDNA libraries better representing the entire population of cDNAs, without sacrificing the simplicity of current conventional ligation-assisted methods.

FULL-malaria: a database for a full-length enriched cDNA library from human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum

FULL-malaria is a database for a full-length-enriched cDNA library from the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum (http://133.11.149.55/). Because of its medical importance, this organism is the first target for genome sequencing of a eukaryotic pathogen; the sequences of two of its 14 chromosomes have already been determined. However, for the full exploitation of this rapidly accumulating information, correct identification of the genes and study of their expression are essential. Using the oligo-capping method, we have produced a full-length-enriched cDNA library from erythrocytic stage parasites and performed one-pass reading. The database consists of nucleotide sequences of 2490 random clones that include 390 (16%) known malaria genes according to BLASTN analysis of the nr-nt database in GenBank; these represent 98 genes, and the clones for 48 of these genes contain the complete protein-coding sequence (49%). On the other hand, comparisons with the complete chromosome 2 sequence revealed that 35 of 210 predicted genes are expressed, and in addition led to detection of three new gene candidates that were not previously known. In total, 19 of these 38 clones (50%) were full-length. From these obser­vations, it is expected that the database contains ∼1000 genes, including 500 full-length clones. It should be an invaluable resource for the development of vaccines and novel drugs.

Construction and screening of A cDNA library for the C3 gene(s) of the Nurse Shark (Ginglymostoma Cirratum)

Mammalian C3 is a complement protein which consists of an α chain (125kDa) and β chain (75kDa) held together by a disulfide bond. The a chain contains a conserved thiolester site which provides the molecule with opsonic properties. The protein is synthesized as a single pro-C3 molecule which is post-translationally modified. C3 genes have been identified in organisms from different phyla, however, the shark C3 gene remains to be cloned. Sequence data from the shark will contribute to understanding further the evolution of this key protein. To obtain additional sequence data for shark C3 genes a cDNA library was constructed and screened with a DIG-labeled C3 probe. Fifty clones were isolated and sequenced. Analysis identified four sequences that yielded positive alignments with C3 of a variety of organisms including human C3. Deduced amino acid sequence analysis confirmed a β/α cut site (RRRR), the CR3 and properdin binding sites, the catalytic histidine, and the reactive thiolester sequence. In the shark there are at least two C3-like genes as the gene sequence obtained is distinct from that previously described.

A polymerase chain reaction-based method for isolating clones from a complimentary DNA library in sheep

The sheep (Ovis aries) is favored by many musculoskeletal tissue engineering groups as a large animal model because of its docile temperament and ease of husbandry. The size and weight of sheep are comparable to humans, which allows for the use of implants and fixation devices used in human clinical practice. The construction of a complimentary DNA (cDNA) library can capture the expression of genes in both a tissue- and time-specific manner. cDNA libraries have been a consistent source of gene discovery ever since the technology became commonplace more than three decades ago. Here, we describe the construction of a cDNA library using cells derived from sheep bones based on the pBluescript cDNA kit. Thirty clones were picked at random and sequenced. This led to the identification of a novel gene, C12orf29, which our initial experiments indicate is involved in skeletal biology. We also describe a polymerase chain reaction-based cDNA clone isolation method that allows the isolation of genes of interest from a cDNA library pool. The techniques outlined here can be applied in-house by smaller tissue engineering groups to generate tools for biomolecular research for large preclinical animal studies and highlights the power of standard cDNA library protocols to uncover novel genes.

Construction of a cDNA clone for a nuclear-coded subunit of cytochrome c oxidase from rat liver

A cDNA library for 6S–9S poly(A)-containing RNA from rat liver was constructed in Image . Initial screening of the clones was carried out using single stranded 32P-labeled cDNA prepared against poly(A)-containing RNA isolated from immunoadsorbed polyribosomes enriched for the nuclear-coded subunit messenger RNAs of cytochrome c oxidase. One of the clones, pCO89, was found to hybridize with the messenger RNA for subunit VIC. The DNA sequence of the insert in pCO89 was carried out and it has got extensive homology with the C-terminal 33 amino acids of subunit VIC from beef heart cytochrome c oxidase. In addition, the insert contained 146 bp, corresponding to a portion of the 3′-non-coding region. Northern blot analysis of rat liver RNA with the nick-translated insert of pCO89 revealed that the messenger RNA for subunit VI would contain around 510 bases.

Cloning and sequence of a cDNA encoding a novel hybrid prolme-rich protein associated with cytokinin-induced haustoria formation in Cuscuta reflexa

A complete cDNA encoding a novel hybrid Pro-rich protein (HyPRP) was identified by differentially screening 3x10(4) recombinant plaques of a Cuscuta reflexa cytokinin-induced haustorial cDNA library constructed in lambda gt10. The nucleotide (nt) sequence consists of: (i) a 424-bp 5'-non coding region having five start codons (ATGs) and three upstream open reading frames (uORFs); (ii) an ORF of 987 bp with coding potential for a 329-amino-acid (aa) protein of M(r), 35203 with a hydrophobic N-terminal region including a stretch of nine consecutive Phe followed by a Pro-rich sequence and a Cys-rich hydrophobic C terminus; and (iii) a 178-bp 3'-UTR (untranslated region). Comparison of the predicted aa sequence with the NBRF and SWISSPROT databases and with a recent report of an embryo-specific protein of maize [Jose-Estanyol et al., Plant Cell 4 (1992) 413-423] showed it to be similar to the class of HyPRPs encoded by genes preferentially expressed in young tomato fruits, maize embryos and in vitro-cultured carrot embryos. Northern analysis revealed an approx. 1.8-kb mRNA of this gene expressed in the subapical region of the C. reflexa vine which exhibited maximum sensitivity to cytokinin in haustorial induction.

The cDNA sequence of cytochrome b5 associated with cytokinin-induced haustoria formation in Cuscuta reflexa

A cDNA clone isolated by differentially screening a cytokinin-induced haustorial cDNA library of Cuscuta reflexa was sequenced and identified as the gene coding for cytochrome b(5), based on the similarity of the deduced amino-acid sequence with that of the cauliflower (60% identity) and tobacco (78% identity) proteins. The 5'-UTR is unusually long (720 bp) and contains 14 potential start codons (ATG) and 10 short ORFs.

水母雪莲类黄酮次生代谢分子调控研究—cDNA 文库构建、关键酶及Myb 转录因子基因的克隆及其功能的初步鉴定

水母雪莲（Saussurea medusa Maxim）为名贵珍稀中药材，其主要药用成分为类黄酮，尤其是3-脱氧类黄酮。目前关于雪莲的研究主要集中在采用细胞培养生产类黄酮等方面，但对于雪莲类黄酮生物合成的分子机制了解甚少，极大限制了这一珍贵资源的利用。本研究采用水母雪莲红色系愈伤组织及悬浮细胞为材料，构建cDNA文库，从中克隆水母雪莲类黄酮次生代谢中的相关基因并对这些基因进行了深入的生物信息学分析、转基因研究初步确定其功能，以期了解雪莲类黄酮次生代谢的分子机制，为提高类黄酮的合成奠定基础。主要结果如下： 1. 成功地构建了水母雪莲红色系愈伤组织与悬浮细胞cDNA文库，原始文库滴度达到4×106pfu/ml，扩增文库滴度接近1011 pfu/ml，重组率达98%。PCR检测插入片段，均在0.5kb到3kb之间，1kb以上占62%。从文库中检测到了chs、dfr及Myb转录因子SmP，文库覆盖度达到要求且为PCR筛选文库提供了可能。 2. 采用部分简并引物，通过RT-PCR克隆了水母雪莲查尔酮异构酶基因Smchi特异探针，并根据这一探针序列设计特异引物，采用TD-PCR法筛选cDNA文库，获得Smchi cDNA序列，全长831bp，编码一个232氨基酸残基的蛋白。根据cDNA序列克隆了Smchi DNA序列，结果表明Smchi基因无内含子。Smchi cDNA序列与翠菊chi基因高度同源，ORF区域同源性高达84%，但推测氨基酸序列则只有79.3%。Smchi mRNA具有复杂的二级结构。SmCHI具有典型的Chalcone结构域，其二级结构与苜蓿CHI蛋白十分相似，7个α-螺旋与8个延伸链由随机结构联系起来。但其活性中心的第三个关键氨基酸残基N115为M115所取代，这一取代可能导致该蛋白无生物活性，也可能使它具有一般CHI不同的功能。构建Smchi正义、反义真核表达载体，通过农杆菌介导导入烟草，获得转正义、反义Smchi基因的烟草。转基因烟草花色未改变，但叶片总黄酮发生了显著的变化，50%转正义基因烟草总黄酮含量显著提高，最高比对照提高6倍，70%转反义基因烟草总黄酮含量显著下降，最多达85.1%，初步证明Smchi具有功能，并能有效调控烟草类黄酮次生代谢。因此，SmCHI可能是不同于已知CHI的一类新的CHI蛋白，它催化的反应可能与花色素合成无关，其反应机制也可能有所不同。 3. 伴随Smchi的克隆获得了一个黄烷酮3-羟化酶类似基因Smf3h的cDNA，全长1334bp，编码一个343aa的蛋白。根据这一cDNA序列克隆了Smf3h DNA序列，全长1630bp，结果表明该基因由4个外显子和3个内含子组成。Smf3h mRNA具有十分复杂的二级结构。 推测蛋白氨基酸同源性分析表明，SmF3H属于2OG-FeII_Oxy家族，与同一家族的的颠茄H6H的同源性为45%，与拟南芥F3H的同源性为40%，但对SmF3H、典型F3H及典型H6H推测蛋白二级结构、活性中心关键氨基酸残基的位置与相对距离、软件进行功能预测分析，发现SmF3H与F3H更相似。构建Smf3h的正义与反义真核表达载体，通过农杆菌介导导入烟草，但只获得一批转正义基因的烟草，反义基因导致烟草不能再生而未获得转反义基因烟草。转基因烟草花色未改变，叶片总黄酮也与对照相似，初步确认Smf3h与烟草类黄酮生物合成无关，而是一个既不属于f3h也不属于h6h的功能未确定的新基因。 4. 采用与克隆Smchi基因相似的方法，从cDNA文库中克隆了SmP基因cDNA，全长969bp，编码一个256 aa的蛋白质。根据cDNA序列克隆了SmP基因的DNA序列，结果表明，SmP基因无内含子。SmP基因cDNA 一级结构及mRNA二级结构预测分析表明，该基因A+T含量很高（63%），所形成二级结构以A-T配对为主，其稳定性可能较差。SmP推测蛋白序列具有R2R3-Myb转录因子的典型特征，在N-端具有两个Myb DNA-binding Domain，其二级结构与鸡Myb转录因子1A5J十分相似，与其他基因如水稻OsMYB、番茄ThMYB的同源区域主要集中在这一结构域，分别为71.3%和70.8%;C-端富含丝氨酸，与烟草NtMYB、葡萄VlMYB等类黄酮调控因子相似，都呈寡聚体分布，并具有相同的保守磷酸化位点S170与S206。构建SmP基因真核表达载体，通过农杆菌介导导入烟草，获得大量转基因烟草。转基因烟草花色未发生改变，但51%的转基因烟草叶片总黄酮含量都显著提高（0.5-6倍），表明SmP具有促进烟草类黄酮生物合成的功能，但所调控的支路与花色素合成无关。初步试验结果表明，转SmP基因烟草对蚜虫具有很高的抗性，可有效地抑制蚜虫在烟草上的生长，抑制率最高可达92%-100%。这一抗性与烟草中类黄酮的积累可能具有直接的联系，但还需要进一步的试验证明。 5. 与美国俄亥俄州立大学Erich Grotewold 博士实验室合作，完成了微型EST库50个克隆的测序并进行了分析，从中获得了水母雪莲花色素合酶基因SmANS及醛脱氢酶基因SmALDH的特异探针。根据SmANS特异探针设计引物，采用PCR从这50个克隆中筛选获得了SmANS的cDNA序列，全长1229bp，编码一个356aa的蛋白质。SmANS在cDNA水平上与同属的翠菊ANS基因高度同源，但同源区域集中在ORF区域，达到80%，mRNA 预测二级结构十分复杂;推测氨基酸序列与翠菊ANS同源性达到82.9%。SmANS属于2OG-FeII_Oxy家族，在2OG-FeII_Oxy结构域高度保守，与翠菊、甜橙ANS保守结构域同源性达到94%。预测蛋白二级结构以α-螺旋-β-折叠为主，由7个主螺旋和11个主β-折叠及随机结构连接而成，并具有2OG-FeII_Oxy家族活性中心的三个保守的组氨酸残基（His84、His235、His291）和一个天冬氨酸残基（Asp237）。 6. 根据微型EST库中获得的SmALDH特异探针设计引物，采用PCR从这50个克隆中筛选获得了SmALDH基因cDNA 序列，全长1664bp，编码一个491aa的蛋白质。SmALDH基因cDNA具有独特的碱基组成，3/-UTR富含A+T，占该区域碱基总量的80%，5/-UTR的A+T和G+C各占50%，比ORF区域（52%）还低，因此其mRNA二级结构中5/-UTR可以单独形成自身二级结构并且十分稳定，这可能影响基因的表达。这一现象在水稻、玉米等植物中也存在。SmALDH在cDNA水平上在ORF区域与拟南芥、藏红花、水稻等具有较高同源性，分别为64.03%、63.89%、63.72%，但在推测蛋白氨基酸序列水平上同源性反而较低，分别为54.9%、54.3%、54.0%。SmALDH缺少线粒体定位信号，为胞质醛脱氢酶，具有一个Aldedh 保守结构域，还具有与1OF7-H相似的以α-螺旋-β-折叠为主的二级结构，由10个主螺旋和15个主β-折叠及随机结构连接而成。由于ALDH在植物细胞乙醇发酵中具有解除醛类物质毒害的功能，因此SmALDH基因的克隆为改造细胞自身以适应发酵培养条件，解决水母雪莲细胞大规模培养中需氧问题提供了可能。