Cloning and analysis of a defender against apoptotic cell death (DAD1) homologue from tomato

A cDNA clone homologous to the human defender against apoptotic cell death (DAD1) gene, which is believed to be a conserved inhibitor of programmed cell death, was isolated from tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum cv. Prisca). The 351 basepairs open reading frame predicted a 116 amino acid protein sequence (LeDAD1) that showed high homology to other DAD1 proteins. Northern analysis revealed that LeDAD1 was constitutively expressed during ripening of wildtype, rin,andNr tomato fruit.