Hiding in plain sight: the F segment and other conserved features of seed plant SKndehydrins.
An 11-residue amino acid sequence, DRGLFDFLGKK, is highly conserved in a subset of dehydrins found across the full spectrum of seed plants and here given the name F-segment. An 11-residue amino acid sequence, DRGLFDFLGKK, is highly conserved in identity and polarity in 130 non-redundant dehydrin sequences representing conifers and all major angiosperm groups. This newly described motif is here given the name F segment based on the pair of hydrophobic F residues at the core of the sequence. The majority of dehydrins previously classified as SKndehydrins contain one F segment N terminal to the S and K segments and can accordingly be reclassified as FSKndehydrins. A cysteine-containing variant, GCGMFDFLKK, occurs in a few rosid and asterid taxa. The S segment in this and other dehydrin types also includes previously overlooked conserved features, including a KLHR prefix and charged or G residues within and following the characteristic string of S residues. Secondary structure prediction models indicate that the F segment and S segment prefix may form amphipathic helices that could be involved in membrane or protein binding.
Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491, Trondheim, Norway. richard.strimbeck@ntnu.no.
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http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9924-1618
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Richard Strimbeck
D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D019684:Magnoliopsida / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D008961:Models, Structural; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D064028:Tracheophyta / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics
D010940:Plant Proteins; C070556:dehydrin proteins, plant
LEA protein; Localization; Membrane binding; Phosphorylation; Sequence conservation