Cloning and expression analysis of HMG-CoA reductase from Aquilaria sinensis (Lour.) Gilg

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGR) is the first rate-limiting enzyme for sesquiterpene synthesis in the mevalonate (MVA) pathway.  The specific primers were designed according to the transcript sequence of AsHMGR2 from the Aquilaria sinensis (Lour.) Gilg transcriptome database.  The full- length cDNA of AsHMGR2 was cloned by RT-PCR and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) technology, and was analyzed at bioinformatics levels; AsHMGR2 expression profiles in different tissues and in responds to different treatments were analyzed by real-time PCR.  The length of AsHMGR2 Open Reading Frame (ORF) was 1 749 bp, encoding 582 amino acids.  The GenBank accession number is KC140287.  Tissue expression analysis indicated that AsHMGR2 was mainly expressed in root and shoot tips, followed by stem, and was lowest in leaves.  Inducible-experiments showed that the genes were induced by mechanical wound as well as chemical liquid induction, and reached the highest expression level at 6 h and 8 h, separately.  The full-length cDNA of AsHMGR2 and its expression patterns will provide a foundation for further research on its function in agarwood sesquiterpene biosynthesis.