Cloning and characterization of up-regulated HbSINA4 gene induced by drought stress in Tibetan hulless barley

Hulless barley is an important crop cereal in Tibetan, China. Drought is a major abiotic stress in barley production. In this study, we cloned the drought-related HbSINA4 gene from the variety 'Himalaya 10' and analyzed its expression patterns under different drought and rehydration conditions. The cDNA of HbSINA4 was 1052 bp long, including an open reading frame of 771 bp that encoded a protein of 256 amino acids. The molecular weight of HbSINA4 protein was predicted to be 29.53 kDa and the theoretical pI was 8.32. Bioinformatic analysis showed that the HbSINA4 gene contained a protein kinase domain profile family signature motif, with high similarity to that of Oryza sativa and Brachypodium distachyon. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays revealed that gene expression declined rapidly with increasing drought stress; in contrast, its expression increased after rehydration treatment. Therefore, the HbSINA4 gene responds to the drought stress and plays an important role in barely drought resistance. Furthermore, our results provide information which may be useful in other temperate crop studies and in aiding resistance to drought.