Determination of Lentil (Lens culinaris M.) DEHYDRATION RESPONSIVE ELEMENT-BINDING2A (DREB2A) Gene Expression under Drought Stress Conditions

Objective: Dehydration responsive element binding (DREB) proteins are important transcription factors in plant stress response and signal transduction. In this study, partial cDNA of lentil (Lens culinaris M.) DREB2A, namely LcDREB2A, which belongs to the DREB gene family was isolated and identified its relationship with drought stress. Material and Methods: Two-week-old plants were subjected to drought stress through irrigations for 6, 13 and 20 days to elucidate the relationship between the expression profile of LcDREB2A gene and drought stress. Changes of gene expression in lentil roots and leaves were assayed by quantitative real time PCR. Results: The expression of LcDREB2A in both F？rat87 and ？zbek lentil leaves increased with decreasing water contents and reached to a maximum on the 20th day of dehydration. On the other hand, in ？zbek roots, the highest level of expression was observed on the 6th day of dehydration. The levels decreased on 13th day and increased on 20th day. Level of expression in F？rat87 roots decreased with increasing water contents and the greatest level of expression was observed on the 20th day of dehydration. Conclusion: Observed tissue-specific expression profile of LcDREB2A suggested a complex regulation and indicated the role of this transcription factor in lentil drought response