Plant dehydrins. General characteristics and hypothetical functions

Stress proteins - dehydrins are a family of proteins characterized by high hydrophilicity and thermal stability. They belong to LEA (Late Embryogenesis Abundant) class II proteins, The structural features of dehydrins include the presence of conservative sequences in them, which were designated as K-, S-, Y-, F- segments, while the presence of a K-segment is mandatory for all dehydrins. The number and combination of K-, S-, Y- and F- segments formed the basis for the classification of dehydrins, which made it possible to distinguish six classes of dehydrins: YnSKn, Kn, KnS, SKn, YnKn and FnSKn. It is assumed that dehydrins can prevent the denaturation and coagulation of proteins during dehydration; they are able to bind a significant amount of water, preventing its loss. One of the putative functions of dehydrins is their ability to participate in detoxification from excess salt ions. Some of the dihydrins have antifreeze activity.