title: ZmHSP16.9, a cytosolic class I small heat shock protein in maize (Zea mays), confers heat tolerance in transgenic tobacco.
abstract: Various organisms produce HSPs in response to high temperature and other stresses. The function of heat shock proteins, including small heat shock protein (sHSP), in stress tolerance is not fully explored. To improve our understanding of sHSPs, we isolated ZmHSP16.9 from maize. Sequence alignments and phylogenetic analysis reveal this to be a cytosolic class I sHSP. ZmHSP16.9 expressed in root, leaf and stem tissues under 40 °C treatment, and was up-regulated by heat stress and exogenous H₂O₂. Overexpression of ZmHSP16.9 in transgenic tobacco conferred tolerance to heat and oxidative stresses by increased seed germination rate, root length, and antioxidant enzyme activities compared with WT plants. These results support the positive role of ZmHSP16.9 in response to heat stress in plant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The overexpression of ZmHSP16.9 enhanced tolerance to heat and oxidative stress in transgenic tobacco.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Shandong Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, 61 Daizong Street, Tai'an 271018, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Liping
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiangpei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jiaowen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Dequan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xinghong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D003600:Cytosol / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000187:drug effects; D017343:Genes, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D018525:Germination / Q000187:drug effects; D050888:Heat-Shock Proteins, Small / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D010802:Phylogeny; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D021381:Protein Transport / Q000187:drug effects; D036226:Seedlings / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D012639:Seeds / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013045:Species Specificity; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D013347:Subcellular Fractions / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D019076:Transgenes / Q000235:genetics; D003313:Zea mays / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D050888:Heat-Shock Proteins, Small; D010940:Plant Proteins; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide