Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) proteins confer water stress tolerance to mammalian somatic cells

Abstract

Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) proteins are commonly found in organisms capable of undergoing reversible dehydration - \"anhydrobiosis\". Here, we have produced three LEA proteins: pTag-RAB17-GFP-N, Zea mays dehydrin-1dhn, expressed in the nucleo-cytoplasm; pTag-WCOR410-RFP, Tricum aestivum cold acclimation protein WCOR410, binding to cellular membranes, and pTag-LEA-BFP, Artemia franciscana LEA protein group 3 that targets the mitochondria. Somatic cells transfected with three LEA proteins were subjected to desiccation under controlled conditions, followed by rehydration, viability assessment and membrane/mitochondria functional tests were performed. Results shown that LEA protect cells from desiccation injury. Cells expressed all LEA proteins shown very high percentage of viable cells (58%) after four hour of desiccation compare to un-transfected cells (1% cell alive). Plasmalemma, cytoskeleton and mitochondria appeared unaffected in LEA-expressing cells, confirming their protective action during the entire desiccation and rehydration process. Here, we show that natural xeroprotectants (LEA proteins) transiently expressed in somatic cells confer them desiccation tolerance.