Abstract
A rice homolog, OsMLT1 (GenBank AY554051), of the barley low-temperature induced gene blt101 (GenBank Z25537) was identified in the differential clones prepared from cDNA library of rice seedlings treated under drought stress. The OsMLT1 has an ORF of 547 bp that encodes 55 amino acid residues. The deduced amino acid sequences of OsMLT1 showed 54% positional identities with that of barley blt101. Northern analysis with 3-UTR gene-specific probe revealed that OsMLT1 is strongly induced by drought stress. However, Northern analysis on other environmental stress response showed that OsMLT1 is also induced by the moderate low-temperature at 12 degree C, but not by the lower low-temperature at 5 degree C at all. The barley blt101 is known to respond to the lower low-temperature at 5 degree C. Therefore, unknown sensing mechanism may exist that is capable of discriminating degree of low-temperature in regulation of barley blt101 and rice OsMLT1.
