Expression pattern of GPI-anchored non-specific lipid transfer proteins in Physcomitrella patens

Sammanfattning Abstract: During the water-to-land transition, that occurred approximately 450 MYA, novel habitats were revealed to the emerging plants. This terrestrial habitat was a harsh environment compared to the aquatic, with shifting substrate content, irregular supply of water, damaging UV-radiation and rapid fluctuating temperatures. Non-specific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTP) are today only found in the land living plants and not in the green algae. This suggests that these genes might have evolved to help the plants cope with the stressful conditions. In this study the expression pattern has been analysed of the nsLTPs in the moss Physcomitrella patens during the possible conditions that raised during the water-to-land transition. The moss was exposed to salt, UV-B, drought, copper, cold and osmotic stress. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to analyse the transcription levels. I found that six genes were upregulated during either cold, dehydration or UV-B stress. This suggest that these genes are involved in the plant defense against these abiotic stresses