Characterization of cCel3, a member of the pepper endo-beta-1,4-glucanase multigene family.

In pepper plants the enzyme endo-beta-1,4-glucanase (EGase) is encoded by a multigene family. Here is described the characterization of cCel3, a cDNA which codes for the third EGase known so far in this plant. The known members of this family are present as single copy genes, as demonstrated by a Southern analysis of the genomic DNA. Analysis of the expression of cCel3 demonstrates that the highest levels of the cCel3 mRNA are found in abscission zones of leaves and flowers activated by treatments with the plant hormone ethylene. However, the amounts of the cCel3 transcripts (detectable only by RT-PCR) are always much lower than those of cCel2 so that the latter can be regarded as the "abscission" EGase while cCel3 is likely to perform a role ancillary to that of cCel2.