BET9 — Lactuca sativa

Summary

LsBET9 (BET9) on chromosome 3 of garden lettuce encodes a bromodomain-containing protein with tRNA-adenosine deaminase activity, sequence-specific DNA binding, SUMO transferase activity, histone binding, and transcription coactivator activity. It is associated with tRNA wobble adenosine-to-inosine editing, regulation of nitrate assimilation, salicylic acid metabolism, abscisic acid-mediated signalling, and antiviral responses. The gene is linked to traits including seed protein content, flowering time, anthocyanin content, root hair length, lateral root length, root thickness, whole plant size, chloroplast development, and responses to copper, nitrate, aluminum, auxin, high and low temperature, oxidative stress, and disease tolerance. Studies of related genes in other species connect the family to resistance to Botrytis cinerea, Pseudomonas syringae, and viruses, as well as drought tolerance, ABA sensitivity, nitrogen use efficiency, and telomerase activity.