Molecular cloning and characterization of a profilin gene BnPFN from Brassica nigra that expressing in a pollen-specific manner.

Brassica nigra is a newly found invasive species in Zhejiang Province, China. It distributes alongside the roads, in vegetable fields and on riversides. When it blooms, some natives there will suffer from allergic rhinitis. We designed gene-specific primer pairs according to reported profilin genes and successfully isolated their homolog from flower bud cDNA of B. nigra. The gene, designated BnPFN, was submitted to GenBank under accession number EU004073. BnPFN was 405 bp in length encoding 134 amino acids. Expression analysis of BnPFN gene was carried out by means of RT-PCR. The results showed that BnPFN express only in anthers and pollens, and there was no detection in roots, leaves, stems, sepals, petals and pistils. We suggest that BnPFN is a pollen-specific gene and may be responsible for pollen anaphylactic reactions in those invading areas when B. nigra blooms.