IDENTIFICATION AND REAL-TIME EXPRESSION ANALYSIS IN PLANTS OF A TRANSCRIPT CONTAINING HERPES VIRAL PROTEIN DOMAIN

For the first ever time report, considering Celosia cristata as a potent antiviral source, a new partial transcript containing Herpes UL31 superfamily protein domain was identified from the purified leaf mRNA population at the early vegetative stage of this plant. The relative expression level of the isolated transcript was analyzed using the real-time reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with template leaf materials collected separately from the seedling and adult life stages of test plant. Since the cloned mRNA fragment was significantly closer to the viral protein rather than to their eukaryotic sequences, thereby it may be a great value for evolutionary biologists, as it may certify a horizontal transfer of genetic information between viruses and eukaryotic taxa. The present report may lead to further investigations with regard to the structures and biological importance of viral UL31 gene in plant system. A possible correlation between the product of the isolated clone and antiviral mechanism was proposed and recommended for identification.