Comparative studies of selected stress responsive <em>DREB</em> and <em>ALDH</em> genes in <em>Arabidopsis thaliana, Eutrema salsugineum </em>and<em> Hordeum vulgare</em>

Abstract

Drought and salinity are the most severe abiotic stresses limiting agricultural production worldwide. Plant adaptive responses to these stresses involve stress signal perception, signal transduction to cytoplasm and nucleus, and gene expression to produce regulatory or protective proteins. CBF/DREBs are important transcription factors regulating the expression of a set of stress-associated downstream genes. Aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDH) are considered detoxification enzymes to eliminate toxic aldehydes that accumulate under stress conditions. In this study, expression profiles of five barley <em>CBF/DREB</em> genes were investigated under a simulated slow progression of drought stress similar to field conditions. Aldehyde dehydrogenases were studied in the glycophyte <em>A. thaliana</em> and the <em>Eutrema</em> halophytes in a comparative manner with a focus on the mechanisms regulating the expression of the <em>ALDH7B4 </em>gene under osmotic stress. The transcription factors regulating the promoter of <em>EsALDH7B4</em> were identified and the identified transcription factor bHLH146 was characterized.