The Effects Of Ethrel Treatments On Chitinase Activity And Gene Expression In Latex Of Hevea Brasiliensis (Rubber Tree)

In the light of the new theory that chitinase pronotes the flow of latex, the chitinase activity was strdied in lutoids of laticifer in rubber tree. The results showed that Ethrel treatment greatly affected the chitinase activity of latex: the chitinase activity increased along with the effectively rising concertration of Ethrel and there was a positive correlation between them; of the three tested clones of rubber tree (PR107, GT1 and RRIM600), the chitinase activities were strengthened affer the treatments of Ethrel, but the level was different among the three clones, namely, PR107>GT1>RRIM600.The chitinase gene (designated PGCH in this paper) in laticifer of rubber tree was amplified by PCR. Its nucleotide sequence is in consistent with that published by Evert Bokma(2001). Slot Northern hybrization with the labeled probe of PGCH indicated that the expressing level of chitinase gene was different among the three clones of rubber tree according to the hybrization signals, the different responses of clones to Ethrel being as follows: PR107GT1>RRIM, which were identical with their level of chintinase activity under the same Ethrel treated conditions.