Cloning of BOR1 (boron transporter) partial length cDNA from oil palm, sugarcane and physic nut.

Boron is a micronutrient that plants need in small amounts but very vital for plant development. Boron deficiency in plant is a commonly found in Thailand. If the genes that regulate the boron transport in plant are known, this will lead to a better understanding of boron metabolism and boron supplementation can be managed effectively. This study was aimed to obtain the fragment of the BOR1 cDNA using RT+PCR. Total RNA from young leaves of oil palm, physic nut and sugarcane were extracted, respectively, and used as template for cDNA synthesis by RT+PCR. The PCR fragments about 300 bp of cDNA derived from primer specific to BOR1 cDNA in the studied plant species were amplified and sequenced. The cDNA sequences shared a similar homology to BOR1 of many plants species such as castor bean, Fragaria vesca , soybean, grape, Brassica napus and Arabidopsis . It can be concluded that the synthesized cDNA is a part of BOR1 cDNA of the corresponding plant species. Analysis of BOR1 cDNA expression in leaves and roots of oil palm, sugarcane and physic nut by real+time PCR showed th at the BOR1 cDNA expression in roots was higher level than that in leaves of those plant species.