Molecular characterization and genetic mapping of DNA sequences encoding the Type I chlorophyll a/b-binding polypeptide of photosystem I in Lycopersicon esculentum (tomato).

We report the isolation and characterization of a tomato nuclear gene encoding a chlorophyll a/b-binding (CAB) protein of photosystem I (PSI). The coding nucleotide sequence of the gene, designated Cab-6B, is different at eight positions from that of a previously isolated cDNA clone derived from the Cab-6A gene, but the two genes encode identical proteins. Sequence comparison with the cDNA clone revealed the presence of three short introns in Cab-6B. Genetic mapping experiments demonstrate that Cab-6A and Cab-6B are tightly linked and reside on chromosome 5, but the physical distance between the two genes is at least 7 kilobases. Cab-6A and Cab-6B have been designated Type I PSI CAB genes. They are the only two genes of this branch of the CAB gene family in the tomato genome, and they show substantial divergence to the genes encoding CAB polypeptides of photosystem II. The Type I PSI CAB genes, like the genes encoding PSII CAB proteins, are highly expressed in illuminated leaf tissue and to a lesser extent in other green organs.