Differential expression of manganese superoxide dismutase sequence variants in near isogenic lines of wheat during cold acclimation.

Numerous sequence variants of wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) genes have been found. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure the expression levels of three MnSOD genes distinguished by a variable amino acid, and three genes distinguished by sequence variation in the 3′ untranslated region (3′ UTR), in wheat plants grown at 20°C and cold-acclimated for 1–4 weeks at 2°C. The amino acid variants did not differ significantly in expression levels, however, differential expression of genes differing in the 3′ UTR was observed. Diploid wheat-related species also carried sequence variants of MnSOD, with differing levels of expression, suggesting diversification of the MnSOD gene family occurred prior to the polyploidization events of hexaploid wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]