ABSTRACT
Dehydrins are highly hydrophilic, well-soluble proteins which belong to a large family of Late embryogenesis-abundant proteins. It is interesting that the classification corresponds to different protein-stress induction patterns: sub-groups 2b and 2c include predominantly cold-inducible dehydrins while sub-group 2a includes dehydrins not inducible by cold stress. Dehydrin proteins can be found in small amounts in young plant organs grown under optimum growth conditions and exhibiting rapid cell division or cell elongation, e.g., root tips, elongating stems, petioles, etc. Drought is one of the major abiotic stress factors which significantly limits plant growth and agronomic production in many areas worldwide. Drought-inducible dehydrins contain abscisic acid-responsive element, C-repeat/drought-responsive/low-temperature-responsive elements, Myeloblastosis and Myelocytomatosis regulatory elements in their promoter regions. Dehydrin expression under salt stress has predominantly been studied in several economically important glycophytes whose production is strongly reduced by enhanced soil salinity.
