LEA Proteins: Versatility of Form and Function

Abstract : LEA proteins represent one of the functional elements thought to be important in maintaining viability of organisms and biological structures in the ametabolic dry state. They are found in plant tissues, seeds and pollen, anhydrobiotic invertebratesand some desiccation-tolerant micro-organisms. Recent findings suggest that LEA proteins play various, possibly multiple, roles in the drying cell: they are implicated in the homeostasis of proteins and nucleic acids, in stabilizing cell membranes, in redox balancing and in the formation and stability of the glassy state. This striking versatility might derive from the largely unstructured nature of LEA proteins in solution and the associated structural and functional plasticity.