LEA — Capsicum annuum

Summary

T459_34206, designated CaLEA in pepper (Capsicum annuum), encodes an embryogenic cell protein 40 belonging to the dehydrin family and is annotated with lipid, phosphoinositide, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidate and metal binding activities. The gene is associated with responses to abscisic acid, cold, drought, salinity, osmotic stress, mannitol, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid, light stimulus, thirst, fungal defence, virus-induced PTGS, embryogenesis, seed development and cold acclimation. It localises to the vesicle membrane, membrane, cytosol, cytoplasm and nucleus. CaLEA is linked to photosynthetic rate, freezing and cold tolerance, seedling establishment, drought, salt and osmotic stress tolerance, dehydration and ABA responses, and membrane stability. Studies of related genes in other species connect the family to drought tolerance, ABA sensitivity, hydrogen peroxide accumulation, low temperature response, and traits including seed size, germination rate, fruit weight, water use efficiency and root characteristics.