Abstract
Craterostigma plantagineum is one of the few higher plants capable of surviving desiccation throughout its vegetative tissues. Water loss results in cell shrinkage and a commensurate folding of the cell wall indicating an unusual degree of wall 4 flexibility. We show that wall extensibility undergoes a marked increase during dehydration and rehydration. Similar increases were observed in the activity of expansins in cell walls during these processes suggesting a role for these proteins in increasing wall flexibility. Three a-expansin cDNAs were cloned from dehydrating leaves and transcript levels for one correlated closely with the observed changes in expansin activity during the dehydration and rehydration of leaves. (C) 2004 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 61-65 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | FEBS Letters |
| Volume | 559 |
| Issue number | 1-3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 13 Feb 2004 |
Keywords
- plant cell wall
- expansin
- drought stress
- resurrection plant
- LOW WATER POTENTIALS
- CELL-WALL EXTENSION
- MAIZE PRIMARY ROOT
- GENE-EXPRESSION
- DESICCATION TOLERANCE
- LEAF GROWTH
- MECHANISMS
- LOCALIZATION
- ARABIDOPSIS
- PROTEINS