Differential expression of wheat genes during cold acclimation

Christov N.K., Yoneyama S., Shimamoto Y., Imai R.

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Overwintering crops such as winter wheat display significant increase in freezing tolerance during a period of cold acclimation (CA). To gain better understanding of molecular mechanisms of CA, it is important to unravel functions and regulations of CA-associated genes. Differential screening of a cDNA library constructed from cold acclimated crown tissue of winter wheat identified three novel CA-associated cDNA clones. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed that the clones encode a high mobility globular protein (HMGB1), a glycine-rich RNA-binding protein (TaGRP2), and a LEA D-11 dehydrin (DHN14). Accumulation of the three mRNAs during 14 days of CA was differentially regulated. In response to drought, and ABA, DHN14 mRNA rapidly accumulated while HMGB1 and TaGRP2 mRNA levels remained unchanged. The possible functions of each of these genes in cold acclimation are discussed.

Key words: HMGB, GR-RBP: glycine rich RNA binding protein, dehydrin, cold acclimation, wheat, Triticum aestivum, abiotic stress

Tsitologiya i Genetika 2007, vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 13-22

• Crop Cold Tolerance Research Team, National Agricultural Research Center for Hokkaido Region, Hitsujigaoka 1, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo 062-08555, Japan
• AgroBioInstitute, Dragan Tsankov 8, Sofia 1164, Bulgaria
• Laboratory of Plant Genetics and Evolution, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan

E-mail: rzi affec.g.jp

Christov N.K., Yoneyama S., Shimamoto Y., Imai R. Differential expression of wheat genes during cold acclimation, Tsitol Genet., 2007, vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 13-22.