title: A LEA 4 protein up-regulated by ABA is involved in drought response in maize roots.
abstract: Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are hydrophilic proteins that accumulate to high concentrations during the late stages of seeds development, which are integral to desiccation tolerance. LEA proteins also play a protective role under other abiotic stresses. We analyzed in silico a maize protein predicted to be highly hydrophilic and intrinsically disordered. This prediction was experimentally corroborated by solubility assays under denaturing conditions. Based on its amino acid sequence, we propose that this protein belongs to group four of the LEA proteins. The accumulation pattern of this protein was similar to that of dehydrins during the desiccation process that takes place during seed development. This protein was induced by exogenous abscisic acid in immature embryos, but during imbibition was down-regulated by gibberellins. It was also induced in maize roots under osmotic stress. So far, this is the first member of the LEA proteins belonging to group four to be characterized in maize, and it plays a role in the response to osmotic stress.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio 103, Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, DF, Mexico. zambri33@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Jesús Alejandro
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2079-9676
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Zamora-Briseño
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio 103, Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, DF, Mexico. estelas@unam.mx.
authors.forename: Estela Sánchez
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: de Jiménez
mesh_terms: D000040:Abscisic Acid / Q000502:physiology*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D003198:Computer Simulation; D055864:Droughts; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D005875:Gibberellins / Q000502:physiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009997:Osmotic Pressure; D010802:Phylogeny; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D012639:Seeds / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D003313:Zea mays / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D005875:Gibberellins; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D010940:Plant Proteins; C070150:Emb564 protein, Zea mays; D000040:Abscisic Acid
keywords: Desiccation; Disordered protein; LEA 4 proteins