Light regulates ascorbic acid (AsA) synthesis, which increases in the light, presumably reflecting a need for antioxidants to detoxify reactive molecules produced during photosynthesis. Here, we examine this regulation in Arabidopsis thaliana and find that alterations in the protein levels of the AsA biosynthetic enzyme GDP-Man pyrophosphorylase (VTC1) are associated with changes in AsA content...

AP2/ERF proteins play crucial roles in various biological processes. RAP2.6, an Arabidopsis AP2/ERF family member, has been reported to function in plant response to biotic stress, but whether it also functions in plant response to abiotic stress is not known. In this work, we demonstrate that in wild-type Arabidopsis, the expression of RAP2.6 is responsive to abscisic acid (ABA) and different ...

Organisms can protect themselves against future environmental change. An example is cross-protection, where physiological adaptation against a present environmental stressor can protect an organism against a future stressor. Another is anticipation, where an organism uses information about its present environment to trigger gene expression and other physiological changes adaptive in future envi...

To explore the dynamics of snRNP structure and function, we have studied Cus1p, identified as a suppressor of U2 snRNA mutations in budding yeast. Cus1p is homologous to human SAP145, a protein present in the 17S form of the human U2 snRNP. Here, we define the Cus1p amino acids required for function in yeast. The segment of Cus1p required for binding to Hsh49p, a homolog of human SAP49, is cont...

Four transcripts homologous to K(+) transporters of the HAK/KT/KUP family have been characterized from the common ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum). We report tissue-specific expression of McHAK1 and McHAK4 transcripts abundant in roots, leaves, and stems. McHAK2 was predominantly present in stems and McHAK3 in root tissues. By in situ hybridizations, the McHAKs showed signals in the le...

Heat shock factors (HSFs) are principal regulators of plant responses to several abiotic stresses. Here, we show that estradiol-dependent induction of HSFA4A confers enhanced tolerance to salt and oxidative agents, whereas inactivation of HSFA4A results in hypersensitivity to salt stress in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Estradiol induction of HSFA4A in transgenic plants decreases, while t...

A strain of Penicillium notatum has been found growing upon media containing saturated calcium acetate which upon passage through media containing saturated KC1 loses its ability to grow at normal rates in salt-free glucose-peptone medium. This salt-habituated form can be restored to a near-normal growth rate by adding yeast extract, RNA or RNA-hydrolysates, but not by DNA or its hydrolysate. T...

Bromodomain proteins are key regulators of gene expression. How the levels of these factors are regulated in specific environmental conditions is unknown. Previous work has established that expression of yeast Bromodomain factor 2 (BDF2) is limited by spliceosome-mediated decay (SMD). Here we show that BDF2 is subject to an additional layer of post-transcriptional control through RNase III-medi...

Dehydration-responsive element-binding (DREB) transcription factor (TF) plays a key role for abiotic stress tolerance in plants. In this study, a novel cDNA encoding DREB transcription factor, designated SsDREB, was isolated from succulent halophyte Suaeda salsa. This protein was classified in the A-6 group of DREB subfamily based on multiple sequence alignments and phylogenetic characterizatio...

BACKGROUND: Use of lactose-rich concentrates from dairy processes for the induction of recombinant gene's expression has not received much attention although they are interesting low cost substrates for production of recombinant enzymes. Applicability of dairy waste for induction of recombinant genes in Escherichia coli was studied. Clones expressing Lactobacillus phage muramidase and Lactobaci...