Transcriptome-based examination of putative pollen allergens of rice (Oryza sativa ssp. japonica)

Abstract

Pollen allergens are among the most abundantly transcribed and translated products in the life history of plants, and particularly grasses. To identify different pollen allergens in rice, putative allergens were identified in the rice genome and their expression characterized using the Affymetrix 57K rice GeneChip microarray. Among the most abundant pollen-specific candidate transcripts were Ory s 1 beta-expansin, Ory s 2, Ory s 7 EF hand, Ory s 11, Ory s 12 profilin A, Ory s 23, glycosyl hydrolase family 28 (polygalacturonase), and FAD binding proteins. Highly expressed pollen proteins are frequently present in multiple copy numbers, sometimes with mirror images located on nearby regions of..