A single nucleotide polymorphism in the alternative oxidase gene among rice varieties differing in low temperature tolerance

Alternative oxidase (AOX) is encoded in a multigene family, and multiple isoforms have been observed in various plant species. We found for the first time an allelic variation in the same AOX locus. On SDS-gel blots of callus protein of rice (Oryza sativa L.), varieties without the QTL for low temperature tolerance showed a 32-kDa AOX band, whereas those with the QTL showed a 34-kDa band. The variation was attributed to the substitution of Lys(71) for Asn(71) caused by a single nucleotide polymorphism between alleles of OsAOX1a, and was tightly linked to the presence of the QTL.