Dehydrins are a group of proteins whose expression is associated with plant abiotic stresses and seed maturation. The full AhDHN dehydrin gene from Mediterranean saltbush (Atriplex halimus) was cloned and characterized. | Turkish Journal of Biology Turk J Biol (2014) 38: 469-477 © TÜBİTAK doi: Research Article Characterization of dehydrin AhDHN from Mediterranean saltbush (Atriplex halimus) 1,2, 1 Monther Taha SADDER *, Abdullah Abdulaziz AL-DOSS Department of Plant Production, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 2 Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan 1 Received: Accepted: Published Online: Printed: Abstract: Dehydrins are a group of proteins whose expression is associated with plant abiotic stresses and seed maturation. The full AhDHN dehydrin gene from Mediterranean saltbush (Atriplex halimus) was cloned and characterized. The AhDHN amino acid sequence revealed 1 S-segment, 3 K-segments (K1, K2, K3), and a transmembrane pore-lining signature. It is a protein with a predicted isoelectric point of . Phylogenetic analysis of the AhDHN protein clustered it with other proteins from related plants belonging to the family Amaranthaceae (Atriplex canescens, Spinacia oleracea, Suaeda salsa, and Suaeda glauca). The AhDHN protein sequence revealed a deletion that was 102 amino acids long compared to AcDHN from A. canescens. The expression level of the AhDHN gene was found to be enhanced by salinity stress in Mediterranean saltbush roots but not in shoots. The novel AhDHN gene can be potentially utilized in transformation of other plants to improve tolerance to salinity stress. Key words: Atriplex halimus, dehydrin, expression, structure 1. Introduction Atriplex spp. (saltbush) is a xerohalophyte that belongs to the subfamily Chenopodiaceae and family Amaranthaceae (). Saltbush is able to produce huge biomass (Glenn et al., 1999). In addition, it has been utilized as livestock fodder with good protein .
