Abstract
Dehydrins as a group of late embryogenesis abundant II proteins represent important dehydration-inducible proteins whose accumulation is induced by developmental processes (embryo maturation) as well as by several abiotic stress factors (low temperatures, drought, salinity). In the review, an overview of studies aimed at investigation of dehydrin accumulation patterns at transcript and protein levels as well as their possible functions in common wheat (Triticum aestivum), durum wheat (T. durum), and barley (Hordeum vulgare) plants exposed to various abiotic stress factors (cold, frost, drought, salinity) is provided. Possible roles of dehydrin proteins in an acquisition and maintenance of an enhanced frost tolerance are analyzed in the context of plant developmental processes (vernalization). Quantitative and qualitative differences as well as post-translational modifications in accumulated dehydrin proteins between barley cultivars revealing differential tolerance to drought and salinity are also discussed. Current knowledge on dehydrin role in wheat and barley response to major dehydrative stresses is summarized and the major challenges in dehydrin research are outlined.
Highlights
Abiotic stress factors – cold, frost, drought, salinity – severely limit plant growth and development as well as the final yield in crops including cereals from the tribe Triticeae
Dehydrins in barley and wheat have already been well characterized at gene and transcript levels; dehydrin proteins, not genes or transcripts, are directly involved in an acquisition of stress tolerance, and, it is necessary to study dehydrin role in plant stress response at protein level
Comparative studies focused on parallel dynamics of WCS120 transcript and protein during cold acclimation of common wheat have revealed a much faster induction of WCS120 transcript upon cold reaching a peak at ca 2 days after an onset of cold treatment while WCS120 protein accumulation reached a peak at ca 21 days after an onset of cold (Ganeshan et al, 2008)
Summary
Abiotic stress factors – cold, frost, drought, salinity – severely limit plant growth and development as well as the final yield in crops including cereals from the tribe Triticeae. The aim of the study lies in a summary of the research focused on dehydrin transcript and protein accumulation in wheat and barley plants exposed to various abiotic stresses with a dehydrative component – cold, drought, salinity. The largest group of dehydrins in barley (10 out of 13 Dhn genes) as well as in common wheat belong to YnSKm type which encompass basic dehydrins induced by strong dehydration stresses (drought, salt, frost) as well as by abscisic acid (ABA) due to an occurrence of several ABRE elements in their promoters (Choi et al, 1999). Kn type dehydrins DHN5 in barley and several Kn type dehydrins (WCS120 family as well as low-molecular Kn type dehydrins such as WDHN13) in common wheat are induced by both cold and drought as well as by ABA (Choi et al, 1999; Tommasini et al, 2008; Wang et al, 2014). There has been described an induction of barley Dhn by moderate levels of salicylic acid (SA) up to 0.25 mM while an inhibition www.frontiersin.org
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