CHARACTERIZATION AND EXPRESSION OF TRANSCRIPTS INDUCED BY OXYGEN DEPRIVATION IN MAIZE (ZEA-MAYS L)

Until recently, the only genes described in plants induced by oxygen d eprivation (anoxia or hypoxia) encoded enzymes of glucose-phosphate me tabolism. In the present study, two flooding-induced maize (Zea mays L .) genes that may serve a different function have been identified. The se genes, with unique kinetics of mRNA induction under flooding condit ions, were not induced by heat, cold, or salt stress or by seedling de ath. The predicted protein sequence of one gene, wus/1005, is similar to that of several other plant genes, including a nasturtium (Tropaeol um majus L.) xyloglucan-endo-transglycosylase. The predicted protein s equence of the other gene showed no significant homology to genes of k nown function, indicating that bath of these genes may play novel role s in the maize response to oxygen deprivation.