Multiple Forms of Alcohol Dehydrogenase (Adh) Genes in Sago Palm: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

Flooding is a worldwide phenomenon in wetland and river areas. Excess water in the soil could produce anoxic soil condition. Sago palms in Sarawak can be found on mainly waterlogged areas. These plants are able and possibly have evolved a system for overcoming the anoxic/hypoxic conditions especially in the root section. Here we report the detection and activity of Adh gene in sago palm. The Adh enzyme was isolated, analysed on polyacrylamide and agarose gel, and detected by specific Adh staining. We found that Adh is present in all sago tissues and three variants are present based on migration on gel. We also utilised the polymerase chain reaction method to generate the PCR products by using primers that are designed from other plant species. Genomic DNA was used for this purpose and four PCR fragments were generated and the nucleotide sequence were determined. Preliminary results of nucleotide sequence analysis indicated that at least three types of Adh genes are present in sago.