RESUMEN
The aim of the present study was to clone and characterize a full length cDNA of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (SoPAL). Differential tissue expression pattern of the SoPAL transcript and its enzyme activity was also analyzed during the tillering stage of growth. The full-length of SoPAL cDNA was 2118 bp long and contained a protein with 706 amino acids, determined by encoding technique. The amino acid sequence and phylogenic analysis of the cloned SoPAL showed high similarity to PAL from other monocotyledonous such as sorghum (96%), maize (93%) and Bamboos (87.12%). The highest levels of SoPAL transcript were observed in the root and stem, while its minimal gene expression levels were in the leaves and sheath, respectively. The highest level of SoPAL enzyme activity was in the leaves. These results helped to understanding the characteristics of PAL biosynthesis and its regulation at the molecular level in sugarcane. This information could be critical for the manipulation of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis in the plant using biotechnological processes.