Signal transduction stress-related proteins and methods of use in plants

A transgenic plant cell transformed with a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide wherein expression of the polypeptide in the plant cell results in the plant cell's increased tolerance to an environmental stress selected from one or more of the group consisting of drought and temperature less than or equal to 0° C. as compared to an untransformed wild type variety of the plant cell;

• wherein the nucleic acid hybridizes under stringent conditions to at least one sequence selected from the group consisting of the sequence of SEQ ID NO:7 and the full-length complement of the sequence of SEQ ID NO:7;
• and wherein the stringent conditions comprise hybridization in a 6× sodium chloride/sodium citrate (SSC) solution at 65° C. and at least one wash in a 0.2× SCC, 0.1% SDS solution at 50° C.

A transgenic plant cell transformed with a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having at least 90% sequence identity with a polypeptide as defined in SEQ ID NO:12, wherein expression of the polypeptide in the plant cell results in the plant cell's increased tolerance to an environmental stress selected from one or more of the group consisting of drought and temperature less than or equal to 0° C. as compared to an untransformed wild type variety of the plant cell.

An isolated nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide, wherein the nucleic acid comprises a polynucleotide that encodes the polypeptide as defined in SEQ ID NO:12.

An isolated nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide, wherein expression of the polypeptide in the plant cell results in the plant cell's increased tolerance to an environmental stress selected from one or more of the group consisting of drought and temperature less than or equal to 0° C. as compared to an untransformed wild woe variety of the plant cell;

• wherein the nucleic acid hybridizes under stringent conditions to at least one sequence selected from the group consisting of the sequence of SEQ ID NO:7 and the full-length complement of the sequence of SEQ ID NO:7;
• and wherein the stringent conditions comprise hybridization in a 6× sodium chloride/sodium citrate (SSC) solution at 65° C. and at least one wash in a 0.2× SSC, 0.1% SDS solution at 50° C.

An isolated nucleic acid, encoding a polypeptide having at least 90% sequence identity with the polypeptide as defined in SEQ ID NO:12, wherein expression of the polypeptide in the plant cell results in the plant cell's increased tolerance to an environmental stress selected from one or more of the group consisting of drought and temperature less than or equal to 0° C. as compared to an untransformed wild type variety of the plant cell.