An Amorpha fruticosa cDNA encoding 4 coumarate:CoA ligase (4CL), a key enzyme of phenylpropanoid metabolism related to lignin forming, was cloned by degenerating oligo primed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and rapid amplification of cDNA end (RACE) PCR. We designed 5′RACE primers based on 4CLA1 fragment which obtained from degenerate PCR. Inverse PCR and nested PCR enabled cloning of the remainder fragments of the gene included 5′ and 3′ end sequence. The ORF encodes a polypeptide of 540 amino acids. The predicted amino acid sequence exhibits significant homology with those of other cloned 4CL genes, contain domains typical of predicted 4CL proteins, in particular a postulated AMP binding site, catalytic domain, and conserved Cys residues.
