Two homologous low-temperature-inducible genes from Arabidopsis encode highly hydrophobic proteins

We have characterized two related cDNAs (RCI2A and RCI2B) corresponding to genes from Arabidopsis thaliana, the expression of which is transiently induced by low, nonfreezing temperatures. RCI2A and RCI2B encode small (54 amino acids), highly hydrophobic proteins that bear two potential transmembrane domains. They show similarity to proteins encoded by genes from barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and wheatgrass (Lophophyrum elongatum) that are regulated by different stress conditions. Their high level of sequence homology (78%) and their genomic location in a single restriction fragment suggest that both genes originated as a result of a tandem duplication. However, their regulatory sequences have diverged enough to confer on them different expression patterns. Like most of the cold-inducible plant genes characterized, the expression of RCI2A and RCI2B is also promoted by abscisic acid (ABA) and dehydration but is not a general response to stress conditions, since it is not induced by salt stress or by anaerobiosis. Furthermore, low temperatures are able to induce RCI2A and RCI2B expression in ABA-deficient and -insensitive genetic backgrounds, indicating that both ABA-dependent and -independent pathways regulate the low-temperature responsiveness of these two genes.