Abstract: The voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) plays an essential role in the permeability of mitochondrial membrane. In the present study, we isolated a novel VDAC gene (brvdac) based on the assembly of expressed sequence tag sequences from Brassica rapa L. and explored its differential expression patterns in growth, tissues, abiotic stress, and stress recovery. Results of a tissue-specific expression study in young seedlings indicated that, of all tissues tested, brvdac expression was the highest in the leaves. Under cold, drought, and salt stresses, brvdac expression showed a transient increase, and then returned to normal levels when the stress was removed. When plants were exposed to heat shock, there was no increase in brvdac expression, whereas during recovery a quick and considerable increase in expression was observed. These observations indicate that dissimilar modulations of brvdac transcription may occur when plant cells encounter heat shock and the other three types of stress. In addition, phylogenetic analysis implied that an earlier duplication of vdac probably occurred before the divergence between monocotyledons and dicotyledons.(Author for correspondence.Tel: 021 6293 2002; Fax: 021 6282 4073; E-mail: kxtang1@yahoo.com or kxtang@sjtu.edu.cn)

Key words: Brassica rapa, expression, heat shock, stress, voltage-dependent anion channel.