InterPro domain: IPR038956

LEA (late embryogenesis abundant) proteins were first identified in land plants. Plant LEA proteins have been found to accumulate to high levels during the last stage of seed formation (when a natural desiccation of the seed tissues takes place) and during periods of water deficit in vegetative organs. Later, LEA homologues have also been found in various species [ 1 , 2 ]. They have been classified into several subgroups in Pfam and according to Bray and Dure [ 3 ].

This entry represents Pfam LEA_5, or D-19 from Dure, or group 1 from Bray. Proteins in this entry includes EM1 (At3g51810) and EM6 (At2g40170) from Arabidopsis [ 4 ]. This entry also includes some bacterial hydrophilins. Some proteins in this entry also contain the KGG motif ( IPR019626 ).

1. LEA proteins during water stress: not just for plants anymore. Annu. Rev. Physiol. 73, 115-34
2. Highly hydrophilic proteins in prokaryotes and eukaryotes are common during conditions of water deficit. J. Biol. Chem. 275, 5668-74
3. LEA (late embryogenesis abundant) proteins and their encoding genes in Arabidopsis thaliana. BMC Genomics 9, 118
4. Two different Em-like genes are expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana seeds during maturation. Mol. Gen. Genet. 238, 409-18