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ARS Home » Plains Area » Manhattan, Kansas » Center for Grain and Animal Health Research » Hard Winter Wheat Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #233043
Title: Heat tolerance and expression of protein synthesis elongation factors, EF-Tu and EF-1a, in spring wheat

Author
item BUKOVNIK, URSKA - KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
item FU, JIANMING - KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
item BENNETT, MIRANDA - KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
item PRASAD, P.V. VARA - KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
item Ristic, Zoran

Submitted to: Functional Plant Biology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/11/2008
Publication Date: 3/2/2009
Citation: Bukovnik, U., Fu, J., Bennett, M., Prasad, P., Ristic, Z. Heat tolerance and expression of protein synthesis elongation factors, EF-Tu and EF-1a, in spring wheat. Functional Plant Biology. 36: 234-241.

Interpretive Summary: Protein elongation factors, EF-Tu and EF-1a, are proteins that play a crucial role in protein synthesis. EF-Tu and EF-1a have been also implicated in cell response to heat stress. It is not clear, however, whether EF-Tu and EF-1a are of importance to heat tolerance in spring wheat. In this study, we investigated heat tolerance and the expression of EF-Tu and EF-1a in mature plants of spring wheat cultivars Kukri and Excalibur under prolonged exposure to high temperature. In addition, we also investigated the expression of these elongation factors in young plants experiencing a short-term heat shock. Heat stress induced accumulation of EF-Tu and EF-1a in both cultivars but the accumulation was greater in the cultivar that showed better tolerance to heat stress (Excalibur). The results support the hypothesis that EF-Tu and EF-1a are of importance to wheat response to heat stress.

Technical Abstract: Protein elongation factors, EF-Tu and EF-1a, have been implicated in cell response to heat stress. In spring wheat, EF-Tu displays chaperone activity and reduces thermal aggregation of Rubisco activase. Similarly, in mammalian cells, EF-1a displays chaperone-like activity and regulates the expression of heat shock proteins. We investigated the expression of EF-Tu and EF-1a in mature plants of spring wheat cultivars Kukri and Excalibur and tested the hypothesis that cultivars with contrasting tolerance to heat stress differ in the expression of these elongation factors under prolonged exposure to high temperature [16 d, 36/30°C]. In addition, we investigated the expression of EF-Tu and EF-1a in young plants experiencing a 24-h heat shock (43°C). Excalibur showed better tolerance to heat than Kukri. Heat stress induced accumulation of EF-Tu and EF-1a in mature plants of both cultivars but to a greater extent in Excalibur. Young plants did not show appreciable accumulation of EF-Tu in response to heat shock. However, these plants over expressed EF-1a and the over expression appeared greater in Excalibur than in Kukri. The results support the hypothesis that EF-Tu plays a role in heat tolerance in spring wheat. The results also suggest that EF-1a may be of importance to wheat response to heat stress.