ReviewDie Naturwissenschaften2007
The continuing conundrum of the LEA proteins.
Review in Die Naturwissenschaften, 2007. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 283 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
283 citing papers in PubMed.
- Desiccation tolerance mechanisms in the green lineage and beyond.The New phytologist · 2026Review
- Review
- Germination Dynamics and Seedling Development of Wheat Under Various Ionic Salt Stresses.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Fine scale gene expression dynamics at the foliar level reveal grapevine strategies to cope with recurrent drought stress.BMC plant biology · 2026Article
- Genome-wide identification, evolution, and expression pattern analysis of the LEA gene family in Tartary Buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum).BMC genomics · 2026Article
- Understanding the genetics of quality traits in groundnut: GWAS highlights drought-responsive markers and candidate genes.TAG. Theoretical and applied genetics. Theoretische und angewandte Genetik · 2026Article
- Molecular timekeepers: the curious alliance of redox, repair, and protective proteins in preserving seed longevity.Crop health · 2026Review
- Overexpression of theInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Cultivation and genomic characterization of novel methanogens from arid desert biocrust.ISME communications · 2026Article
- Salt Tolerance in Soybean (Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Heterologous Expression of Bacterial Dehydrin Promotes Arabidopsis Tolerance to Cadmium and Arsenic Stress.Genes · 2025Article
- Surviving desiccation: key factors underlying tolerance in prokaryotes and eukaryotes.Protoplasma · 2025Review
- Defying Death: A Multi-Omics Approach to Understanding Desiccation Tolerance and Senescence inPlants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Stress Regulatory capabilities discovered in late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins expressed during pecan (Carya illinoinensis) kernel development.BMC genomics · 2025Article
- Combining QTL mapping and transcriptomics to identify candidate genes for cold tolerance during the budding and seedling stages in rice.BMC genomics · 2025Article
- Biomolecular condensates-Prerequisites for anhydrobiosis?Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society · 2025Review
- Myosin XI coordinates ABA-induced stomatal closure via microtubule stability and ROS synthesis in drought-stressed Arabidopsis.Plant cell reports · 2025Article
- The promise of resurrection plants in enhancing crop tolerance to water scarcity.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2025Review
- Rice Responses to Abiotic Stress: Key Proteins and Molecular Mechanisms.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Genome-Wide Identification, Phylogenetic Evolution, and Abiotic Stress Response Analyses of the Late Embryogenesis Abundant Gene Family in the Alpine Cold-Tolerant MedicinalInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
223 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Research into late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins has been ongoing for more than 20 years but, although there is a strong association of LEA proteins with abiotic stress tolerance particularly dehydration and cold stress, for most of that time, their function has been entirely obscure. After their initial discovery in plant seeds, three major groups (numbered 1, 2 and 3) of LEA proteins have been described in a range of different plants and plant tissues. Homologues of groups 1 and 3 proteins have also been found in bacteria and in certain invertebrates. In this review, we present some new data, survey the biochemistry, biophysics and bioinformatics of the LEA proteins and highlight several possible functions. These include roles as antioxidants and as membrane and protein stabilisers during water stress, either by direct interaction or by acting as molecular shields. Along with other hydrophilic proteins and compatible solutes, LEA proteins might also serve as "space fillers" to prevent cellular collapse at low water activities. This multifunctional capacity of the LEA proteins is probably attributable in part to their structural plasticity, as they are largely lacking in secondary structure in the fully hydrated state, but can become more folded during water stress and/or through association with membrane surfaces. The challenge now facing researchers investigating these enigmatic proteins is to make sense of the various in vitro defined functions in the living cell: Are the LEA proteins truly multi-talented, or are they still just misunderstood?
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.