Importance of Euonymus lectin-like proteins in Arabidopsis and rice

The family of Euonymus-related lectins (EULs) represents a group of stress-related proteins. Transcript analysis revealed that the EUL genes are responsive to hormone treatment and biotic or abiotic stress applications. The aim of our research is to unravel the physiological importance of these EUL proteins in rice and Arabidopsis. Therefore, the carbohydrate-binding specificity of the lectins is analyzed, promoter activity studies are performed and interacting proteins are identified. Furthermore, overexpression lines and knock out lines are generated in rice and Arabidopsis to analyze phenotypical changes and investigate the performance of these plants under (a)biotic stress conditions.