Construction of a full-length cDNA library and analysis of expressed sequence tags in white jute (<i>Corchorus capsularis</i> L.)

Abstract

White jute (Corchorus capsularis L.) is recognized as an important industrial raw material fibre crop owing to its elite characters. However, little information is known about its molecular basis and genomics. In this study, a complementary DNA library of white jute was constructed and expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were characterized. The titers of original and amplified libraries were 2.32 × 10⁷ and 1.07 × 10⁹ pfu/mL, respectively. The recombinant frequency was 98.3% in the library. Most of the sequences ranged from 500 to 1500 bp with an average length of 750 bp. Results show 203 (73%) ESTs exhibited significant similarity with known or putative functional nucleotide sequences in the GenBank databases. Cluster analysis allowed the identification of 61 unique sequences. These genes were classified into six types by Gene Ontology (GO) annotation. The results also indicated that unigenes of C. capsularis have higher homology to Populus trichocarpa, Ricinus communis and Corchorus olitorius. This report will provide a valuable resource for the further investigations in the gene cloning, transcription or expression for white jute.

Key words: White jute, Corchorus capsularis, cDNA library, construction, ESTs, analysis.