Bioinformatics Analysis on Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate Carboxylase/ Oxygenase Large Subunits in Different Plants

The nucleotide sequences and amino acid sequences of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase large subunits (rbcL) from Zea mays , Arabidopsis thaliana , Pisum sativum , Citrus sinensis , Phalaenopsis aphrodite subsp. formosana , emphasizing on Oryza sativa subsp. japonica , which were registered in the Genebank, were analyzed by the tools of bioinformatics in the following aspects: the composition and the physical and chemical characteristics of nucleotide sequences and amino acid sequences, signal peptide, trans-membrane topological structure, hydrophobicity or hydrophilicity, secondary structure, sequences comparisons, and molecular systemic evolution. The results were showed as follows: the amino acid composition and characteristics of rbcLs from different higher plants were approximately identical; signal peptide and trans-membrane topological structure were not detected in the rbcLs that exhibit the traits of hydrophilic protein; the secondary structure of rbcL manly constituted with α-helix and random coil; the nucleotide sequences and amino acid sequences possess high homologies; the rbcL DNA sequence can reflect the sibships among various higher plants clearly.