Conservation of the human breast basic conserved 1 gene in the plant kingdom: characterization ofacDNA clone from Arabidopsis thaliana

Abstract Based on low-stringency genomic Southern analysis, the recently described human breast basic conserved 1 ( BBC1 ) gene has been proposed to be conserved throughout Eukaryota [Adams et al., Hum. Mol. Genet. 1 (1992) 91–96]. We have isolated and characterized a cDNA clone ( AtBBC1 ) which corresponds to a BBC1 homologue from the model plant species, Arabidopsis thaliana . Furthermore, upon Northern analysis, the AtBBC1 probe detects related transcripts in various dicotyledenous and monocotyledonous plant species, indicating that actively transcribed BBC1 -related genes are widespread in the plant kingdom. BBC1 has been shown to be expressed in all mammalian tissues examined [Adams et al., Hum. Mol. Genet. 1 (1992) 91–96]; similarly, here the AtBBC1 transcript has been detected in a variety of A. thaliana organs. In addition, the abundance of the AtBBC1 mRNA is developmentally regulated during the course of fruit maturation, and is positively correlated with active cell division.