HSP60 — Cicer arietinum

Summary

LOC140920168, designated CaHSP60 on chickpea chromosome 4, encodes a chaperonin belonging to the Cpn60/GroEL and TCP-1 protein families. The product is an ATP-dependent protein folding chaperone with ATPase, RNA, and copper binding activities. Annotated ontology terms link CaHSP60 to protein folding, chaperone-mediated protein complex assembly, mitochondrial biogenesis, protein refolding, group II intron splicing, and response to heat. The protein is localized to the mitochondrial lumen, chloroplast envelope and stroma, endoplasmic reticulum, plant-type vacuole, cytosol, and cytosolic ribosome. CaHSP60 is associated with ash, fructose, and flavonoid content, and with plant stature. Studies of related genes in other species connect the family to root length, plant height, drought tolerance, and salt tolerance, though these relationships are not yet established in chickpea.