Ectopic RING zinc finger gene from hot pepper induces totally different genes in lettuce and tobacco.

Advances in molecular biology have improved crops through transferring genes from one organism to new hosts, and these efforts have raised concerns about potential unexpected outcomes. Here, we provide evidence that a gene with a specific function in one organism can yield completely different effects in a new host. is a C3HC4-type RING zinc finger protein gene previously isolated from a cDNA library for heat-stressed hot pepper.

Heat-inducible C3HC4 type RING zinc finger protein gene from Capsicum annuum enhances growth of transgenic tobacco.

Capsicum annuum RING Zinc Finger Protein 1 (CaRZFP1) gene is a novel C3HC4-type RING zinc finger protein gene which was previously isolated from a cDNA library for hot pepper plants treated of heat-shock. The CaRZFP1 was inducible to diverse environmental stresses in hot pepper plants. We introduced the CaRZFP1 into the Wisconsin 38 cultivar of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) by Agrobacterium mediated transformation under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter.