LEA4-25 Antibodies

Target Information

LEA4-25 encodes a plant group 4 late-embryogenesis abundant (LEA4) protein that accumulates in desiccation-tolerant tissues (notably maturing seeds) and is also induced in vegetative organs during abiotic stress, consistent with a role in dehydration-associated protection. In common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), the corresponding LEA4 protein is a small, highly hydrophilic polypeptide of ~16 kDa that can display an apparent higher mass on SDS-PAGE, a behavior typical of intrinsically disordered proteins, and is expected to be rich in disorder-promoting residues with stress-dependent conformational plasticity (acquiring more alpha-helix under water-limiting or crowding conditions). Functionally, LEA4 proteins act as molecular shields with chaperone-like activity that helps preserve enzyme activity and limits protein aggregation during partial dehydration and freeze-thaw stress, thereby supporting drought/low-water adaptation and recovery; additional evidence across LEA4 proteins supports potential metal-ion binding/sequestration capacity (notably via histidine-enriched regions) that could further mitigate stress-associated damage. Subcellularly, LEA4 proteins have been observed in the nucleus for at least one characterized plant LEA4 member and, more broadly, can show whole-cell distribution without strong compartment restriction, consistent with a generalized protective role across cellular compartments during stress.

Synonyms

Putative late embryogenesis abundant protein LEA; PvLEA4-25