Heat stress transcription factor A2s (HsfA2s) are key regulators in plant response to high temperature. Our objectives were to isolate an HsfA2 gene (CtHsfA2b) from a warm-season grass species, African bermudagrass (Cynodon transvaalensis Burtt-Davy), and to determine the physiological functions and transcriptional regulation of HsfA2 for improving heat tolerance. Gene expression analysis revea...

Heat stress transcription factors (HSFs) compose a large gene family, and different members play differential roles in regulating plant responses to abiotic stress. The objectives of this study were to identify and characterize an A2-type HSF, FaHsfA2c, in a cool-season perennial grass tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) for its association with heat tolerance and to determine the underly...

Production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) can be accelerated under various biotic and abiotic stresses causing lipid peroxidation, protein degradation, enzyme inactivation, and DNA damage. Superoxide reductase (SOR) is a novel antioxidant enzyme from Pyrococcus furiosus and is employed by this anaerobic hyperthermophilic archaeon for efficient detoxification of ROS. In this study, SOR was int...

Chronic exposure to environmental heat improves tolerance via heat acclimation (AC). Our previous data on mammals indicate that reprogramming the expression of genes coding for stress proteins and energy-metabolism enzymes plays a major role. Knowledge of pathways leading to AC is limited. For their identification, we established a Caenorhabditis elegans AC model and tested mutants in which sig...

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) represents about 30% of the world’s cereal area, with over 220 million ha cultivated worldwide, often under abiotic stress. Wheat growth can be impaired by heat stress (HS) at any developmental stage, and modeling scenarios predict even warmer temperatures in the future (Easterling and Apps, 2005). The worst impacts of rising temperatures will occur at low latitudes (w...

Heat stress due to increased temperature is an agricultural problem in many areas in the world. Transitory or constantly high temperatures ause an array of morpho-anatomical, physiological and biochemical changes in plants, which affect plant growth and development and may ead to a drastic reduction in economic yield. The adverse effects of heat stress can be mitigated by developing crop plants...

The objective of this study was to estimate inheritance of the grain filling rate as indicator for heat tolerant genes. The minimum number of genes for the trait in bread wheat was also assessed by combining quantitative genetic estimates and SSR marker analyses. Two cultivars, Debra (heat-tolerant) and Yecora Rojo (heat-sensitive) crossed and F1 and F2 populations generated. The parents, F1 an...

The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) biotype B, is one of the most destructive invasive pests of field and glasshouse crops, and has a high tolerance to heat. Our previous work found that whitefly females are more heat tolerant than males. In the present study, real-time PCR and double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) methods were used to explore the role of heat shock protein ...

Plants must adapt to a variety of abiotic inputs, including visible light, ultraviolet (UV) light, and heat. In Arabidopsis thaliana, DE-ETIOLATED 1 (DET1) plays a role in visible light signaling, UV tolerance, and development. UV-HYPERSENSITIVE 6 (UVH6) mutants are UV and heat sensitive, as well as dwarf and pale, like det1. In this study, we examine the genetic interactions between these two ...