The relationship between different BMPRIB genotypes of Small Tail Han sheep and FSHR and LHR mRNA levels during the oestrum was studied using semiquantitative PCR. The results indicated that FSHR mRNA extracted from the right ovary of BB （1.14±0.11） ewes showed higher levels compared with AA （0.44±0.11） and AB （0.36±0.08） ewes （P〈0.01）, and LHR mRNA extracted from the right ovary of BB （0.42±0.02） ewes showed significantly higher levels compared with AA （0.23±0.02） and AB （0.25±0.04） ewes （P〈0.01）; however, the mRNA extracted from the left ovary showed no significant difference in levels among the genotypes during the oestrum. It indicated that the fecundity induced by a mutation of BMPRIB in Small Tail Han sheep may be related to the changes of the mRNA expression of LHR and FSHR in ovary.
A complete cDNA of potato Phytophthora infestans-induced hypersensitive response-related protein gene (POTHR-1) was cloned using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) strategy according to a fragment sequence which we had cloned using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) technique. The potato POTHR-1 gene encodes a protein of 225 amino acids, which shares 81% identity with tobacco hin1 gene-enoded protein (harpin-induced protein). Southern blot revealed that there are two to three copies of POTHR-1 in potato genome. The POTHR-1 gene expression in potato leaves showed that its transcripts accumulated remarkably in leaves after 36 h inoculation with P. infestans. Mechanical wounding and jasmonic acid (JA) could induce the POTHR-1 gene expression and osmotic stress just induce a slight accumulation of POTHR-1 gene mRNA, while salicylic acid (SA) had no detectable function on the induction accumulation of POTHR-1 gene transcripts. The potato POTHR-1 gene may preferentially associate with hypersensitive response (HR) or biotic cell death during interaction between host and pathogen.
