Abstract: What’s this factor 1 genes (WTF1s) encode a group of proteins with Domain of Unknown Function 860 which are localized specifically in the plant chloroplast and mitochondria and play an important role in intron splicing. Previously, a heat-responsive probe with this conserved domain was identified in the Affymetrix Wheat Genome Array. With the probe sequence, the open reading frame was cloned from wheat and was named TaWTF1. Bioinformatics analysis showed that the promoter of TaWTF1 contained some stress- and hormone-responsive elements including a heat-shock element. TaWTF1 gene expression was induced by heat treatments at the seedling and flowering stages. Moreover, the expression of this gene was higher in the common leaves. Importantly, overexpression of TaWTF1 improved the survival rate of Arabidopsis under heat stress. This study provides valuable information to understand more about the molecular mechanism of thermotolerance in plants.

Key words: heat stress, unknown function, wheat, WTF1