Characterization of a pea gene responsive to low temperature

A cold-induced gene, peaci11.8, was isolated by differential screening of a subtracted cDNA library from cold-acclimated etiolated seedlings of pea (Pisum sativum L.). The expression of peaci11.8 gene was investigated. The accumulation of the transcripts began within 6 h of cold treatment and peaked between 4 and 10 days of treatment. The expression of this gene was rapidly down-regulated after the acclimated seedlings were transferred to ambient temperature. This indicated the correlation of the peaci11.8 gene expression and cold treatment. Further studies showed that the expression was also highly stimulated by water stress. The amino acid sequence deduced from the nucleotide sequence of peaci11.8 shared significant homology with several plant cold-induced genes. In addition, the sequence analysis revealed the presence of two common features of many late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins, the lysine-rich motif and the serine cluster. The availibility of peaci11.8 will facilitate the structure-function studies of the cold-inducible gene product.