Abstract
Xerophyta viscosa (Baker) is a monocotyledonousresurrection plant that is capable of tolerating extremes of desiccation. Uponrewatering, it rehydrates completely, assuming its full physiologicalactivities. Studies on changes in gene expression associated with dehydrationstress tolerance were conducted. A cDNA library was constructed from mRNAisolated from dehydrated X. viscosa leaves [85%,37% and 5% relative water content (RWC)].XVT8 represents one of 30 randomly selected clones thatwere differentially expressed when X. viscosa wasdehydrated. Sequence analysis of XVT8 revealed thatXVT8 exhibited 45% and 43% identity todehydrin proteins from Arabidopsis thaliana andPisum sativum respectively, at the amino acid level.XVT8 encodes a glycine -rich protein (27 kDa)which is largely hydrophilic and contains a hydrophobic segment at theC-terminus. Southern blot analysis confirmed the presence ofXVT8 in the X. viscosa genome.XVT8 transcripts accumulated in X.viscosa plants that were exposed to heat, low temperature anddehydration stresses, and to exogenous abscisic acid and ethylene. Theseresultsprovide direct evidence for the heat, low temperature, dehydration, abscisicacid and ethylene -dependent regulation of the XVT8 geneinX. viscosa.
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Ndima, T., Farrant, J., Thomson, J. et al. Molecular characterization of XVT8, a stress-responsive gene from the resurrection plant Xerophyta viscosa Baker. Plant Growth Regulation 35, 137–145 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014433821730
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014433821730