A COLD-INDUCED GENE FROM MEDICAGO-SATIVA ENCODES A BIMODULAR PROTEIN SIMILAR TO DEVELOPMENTALLY-REGULATED PROTEINS

A new cold-regulated (COR) gene, msa CIC, was isolated by differential screening of a cDNA library from cold-acclimated crowns of alfalfa (Medicago saliva L. cv. Apica). Transcripts of msa CIC were not detectable in unacclimated alfalfa and accumulated to higher levels in cold-acclimated plants of the cold-tolerant cv. Apica than in those of the cold-sensitive cv. CUF-1O1. The DNA sequence analysis of a full-length cDNA clone revealed that msa CIC encodes for a putative protein (MSACIC) of 166 amino acids with distinct proline-rich and hydrophobic domains. Protein sequence comparisons indicated that MSACIC is similar to a group of bimodular proteins that are developmentally regulated in other plant species.