LEA Proteins and the Evolution of the WHy Domain

Abstract

The late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) family is composed of a diverse collection of multidomain and multifunctional proteins found in all three domains of the tree of life, but they are particularly common in plants. Most members of the family are known to play an important role in abiotic stress response and stress tolerance in plants but are also part of the plant hypersensitive response to pathogen infection. The mechanistic basis for LEA protein functionality is still poorly understood. The group of LEA 2 proteins harbor one or more copies of a unique domain, the ater stress andpersensitive response (WHy) domain. This domain sequence has recently been identified as a unique open reading frame (ORF) in some bacterial genomes (mostly in the phylum ), and the recombinant bacterial WHy protein has been shown to exhibit a stress tolerance phenotype in and an protein denaturation protective function. Multidomain phylogenetic analyses suggest that the WHy protein gene sequence may have ancestral origins in the domain, with subsequent acquisition in and eukaryotes via endosymbiont or horizontal gene transfer mechanisms. Here, we review the structure, function, and nomenclature of LEA proteins, with a focus on the WHy domain as an integral component of the LEA constructs and as an independent protein.

Ancestral Reconstructions Decipher Major Adaptations of Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea upon Radiation into Moderate Terrestrial and Marine Environments

“…LEA14-like protein families containing a conserved WHy (water stress and hypersensitive response) domain (78) were acquired in LACAOA, in CARA, and repeatedly during AOA diversification, ending up with multiple copies in extant genomes (Fig. 4, Fig.…”

Zmo0994, a novel LEA-like protein from Zymomonas mobilis, increases multi-abiotic stress tolerance in Escherichia coli

“…It has been shown that sucrose glasses are stabilized in vitro by interaction with LEA proteins [46]. A recent phylogenetic analysis suggests that the LEA protein from plants may have ancestral origins in the domains Bacteria and Archaea with acquisition endosymbionts or horizontal gene transfer [44]. Thus, it is not surprising that overexpression of LEA protein from plants increased tolerance against abiotic stresses in microorganisms [20,45].…”

Multiple genomic regions influence root morphology and seedling growth in cultivated sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) under well-watered and water-limited conditions

“…Finally, we identified a late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) gene within the region on Chr8 that influences both root biomass and TRL under stressed conditions (i.e., Root.Biomass.8.1 and TRL.8.1). This protein family has a strong association with abiotic stress responses, particularly related to dehydration stress (e.g., [ 132 , 133 ]) Indeed, it is involved in multiple relevant processes, including combating stress-derived ROS responses and maintaining membrane stability during periods of water loss [ 132 , 134 – 136 ].…”