Abstract

The method of suppressive subtractive hybridization has been used to detect and clone differentially expressed genes during the development of Berberis chitria Lidl. in cold stress condition. For this, we used two different species, B. chitria Lidl. andBerberis asiatica Roxb., B. chitria containing high yield of berberine and B. asiaticahas less. We used B. chitria Lidl. as tester and B. asiatica as an inducer of the starting material and were compared with mRNA-cDNA. We constructed cDNA library with insert size range from 100 to 600bp from B. chitria roots at developmental stage. The cDNA after subtraction were cloned and a total 28 clones were identified, which are unregulated in B. chitria root tissues, among these 8 were novel, while 20 showed homology with different genes in database. An explanation has been given regarding the role of these genes in the developmental process. Study of the genes identified in this report may enhance our understanding of the genetic circuit involved in the development of berberis. 

Key words: Suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH), Berberis chitria Lidl., ESTs.