The isolation and characterization of a putative dehydrin gene in Triticum aestivum L.
Abstract Dehydrins (DHNs) are abundant, late embryonic proteins that are characterized by dehydrin domains that are involved in plant abiotic stress tolerance. In the current study, we report the cloning and characterization of a dehydrin gene TaDhn33 in wheat Triticum aestivum L. The cDNA of TaDhn33 which was found to be 1217 bp in length, contains an 80 bp 5' UTR and a 309 bp 3' UTR. The open reading frame (ORF) of TaDhn33 was 828 bp and coded for a deduced protein of 275 amino acids. The TaDhn33 gene encodes an acidic YSK 3 dehydrin. The genomic sequence of TaDhn33 gene was determined to be 1361 bp, including two exons and one intron. Nullisomic tetrasomic (NT) and ditelosomic (Dt) line analysis indicated that the TaDhn33 gene was located on chromosome 3DL. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that TaDHN33 was most closely related to HvDHN10 of Hordeum vulgare L. The TaDhn33 transcript levels significantly decreased during the process of stamen homeotic transformation into pistils or pistil like structures. These data provide a basis for future research on the function of TaDhn33 and offer insights into the molecular mechanism of the pistillody mutation in wheat.