title: POPP the question: what do LEA proteins do?
abstract: Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are produced in maturing seeds and anhydrobiotic plants, animals and microorganisms, in which their expression correlates with desiccation tolerance. However, their function has remained obscure for 20 years. We argue that novel computational tools devised for non-globular proteins might now overcome this problem. Predictions arising from bioinformatics fit well with recent data on Group 3 proteins, which potentially form cytoskeletal filaments, and suggest experimentally testable functions for these and other LEA protein groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CB2 3EH, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Wise
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tunnacliffe
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D019295:Computational Biology; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D010944:Plants / Q000196:embryology*; D012639:Seeds / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D010446:Peptide Fragments; D010940:Plant Proteins; C066246:late embryogenesis abundant protein, plant