the following online material is available for this article : sequences of the primers used for aflp .
 angelica sinensis ( oliv . ) diels ( umbelliferae ) is a well - known medicinal plant mainly distributed in gansu province of china . 
 its local and global demand is significant because of its food and medicinal applications . 
 however , the early bolting rate of angelica sinensis ( oliv . ) diels reaches 20%60% , which seriously affects its food and medicinal qualities . 
 thus , differences in gene expression between the flower bud and sprout - shoot apical meristem underwent analysis , by means of cdna - amplified restriction fragment length polymorphism , to better understand the flowering mechanism . 
 64 primer sets , each of which amplified to 60 transcript - derived fragments ( tdfs ) , were used . among these tdfs , 
 26 were expressed specifically in the flower bud . 
 after cloning and sequencing , 32 distinct sequences were obtained from these 26 tdfs , and 25 were found with homologous sequences in databases . 
 confirmation of differential expression of 13 sequences was obtained by semi - quantitative rt - pcr , their showing higher expression levels in flower buds . 
 these homologous sequences encode transposable elements , pentatricopeptide repeat - containing proteins , dna - binding transcription factors , zinc finger ( b - box type ) family proteins , nadp - dependent sorbitol 6-phosphate dehydrogenase ( s6pdh ) , amongst others . 
Supplementary Material