Abstract: Vernalization is an essential factor in the flowering development of cold-required plants. There is a key stage of nucleic acid metabolism in the process of vernalization in winter wheat. To probe into the molecular determinants of vernalization, a cDNA library presumably enriching vernalization-related genes was prepared by specially expressed mRNAs from winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum L. cv. Jingdong No. 1) plumules at the key stage of 21 d vernalization being recovered as cDNAs after subtraction with mRNAs from nonvernalized and devernalized plumules. One vernalization-related cDNA clone (Vrc), Vrc79, which was only expressed at the key stage of 21 d vernalization, but not at other stages of nonvernalization, 4 d vernalization and devemalization, was isolated by differential screening of the library, and shown to be a vernalization-specific clone by Northern blot. Result of homology search suggested that Vrc79 was a novel gene identified in higher plant which was different from the cold-stress-induced genes and might play an important role in the floral induction in vernalization-requiring plants.

Key words: Differential screening, Subtractive hybridization, Vernalization-related cDNA clone, Winter Wheat