Characterization of CaCOP1 Gene in Capsicum annuum Treated with Pathogen Infection and Various Abiotic Stresses

We characterized a full-length cDNA of CaCOP1 from pepper. Phylogenetic analysis based on the deduced amino acid sequence of CaCOP1 cDNA revealed high sequence similarity to the COP1 gene in Oryza sativa (84% identity). CaCOP1 shares high sequence identity with regulatory protein in Arabidopsis (84%), constitutively photomorphogenic 1 protein in Pisum sativum (81%) and COP1 homolog in Lycopersicon esculentum (79%). CaCOP1 gene exists single copy in the chili pepper genome. Expression of CaCOP1 was reduced in response to inoculation of non-host pathogens. The expression of this gene under abiotic and oxidative stresses was investigated, including 200 mM NaCl, 200 mM mannitol, cold (), 100 abscisic acid (ABA), and 10 mM hydrogen peroxide (). CaCOP1 was induced significantly 3 h after low temperature treatment but not by dehydration or high salinity. Moreover, CaCOP1 was not induced by plant hormone ABA. These observations suggest that CaCOP1 gene plays a role in abiotic stress and may be belong to ABA-independent regulation system.