A Group 6 LEA Protein Plays Key Roles in Tolerance to Water Deficit, and in Maintaining the Glassy State and Longevity of Seeds.

ABSTRACT: Plants have a wide range of adaptive and protective mechanisms to cope with dehydration. Central in these processes are the Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) proteins, whose levels notably increase in response to dehydration during seed development and vegetative tissues. Understanding the function of LEA proteins is essential for gaining insights into plant development and their adjusting responses to environmental stress. This study focuses on Group 6 LEA proteins (LEA6) from Arabidopsis thaliana: AtLEA6-2.1, AtLEA6-2.2, and AtLEA6-2.3. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that LEA6 family emerged with seed plants, pointing to a unique role in seed viability. Functional characterization using T-DNA insertion mutants demonstrated that AtLEA6-2.1, but not AtLEA6-2.2, is essential for tolerance to

SUBMITTER: Arroyo-Mosso IA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12319291 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature