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VOL. 11, ISSUE 3 (2026)
Isolation and characterization of small heat shock protein coding genes from slipper orchids: A review
Authors
Dr. Manju M George
Abstract
Slipper orchids, particularly Paphiopedilum species, are
valuable ornamental plants that frequently experience temperature fluctuations
and other abiotic stresses. Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs), also called
HSP20 proteins, are ATP-independent molecular chaperones that protect cellular
proteins from stress-induced unfolding and aggregation. This review discusses
the isolation and molecular characterization of sHSP-coding genes from slipper
orchids, with emphasis on gene discovery, sequence analysis, phylogeny,
subcellular localization, and stress-responsive expression. Plant sHSPs are
characterized by variable amino-terminal regions and a conserved
carboxyl-terminal α-crystallin domain. Their diversity reflects expansion of
the sHSP gene family and specialization among cytosolic, chloroplastic,
mitochondrial, endoplasmic-reticulum, and other cellular compartments. In
slipper orchids, reverse-transcription PCR, degenerate-primer PCR, rapid
amplification of cDNA ends, transcriptome sequencing, and quantitative RT-PCR
provide complementary approaches for isolating and characterizing these genes.
Although chloroplast genomes of several Paphiopedilum species have been
analyzed, nuclear-encoded sHSP genes remain comparatively underexplored.
Studying these genes could improve understanding of orchid thermotolerance,
acclimatization, conservation physiology, and breeding.
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Pages:406-410
How to cite this article:
Dr. Manju M George "Isolation and characterization of small heat shock protein coding genes from slipper orchids: A review". International Journal of Botany Studies, Vol 11, Issue 3, 2026, Pages 406-410
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