Extracellular trafficking of a wheat cold-responsive protein, WLT10

A cold-responsive wheat gene, WLT10, encodes a member of the cereal-specific low temperature-responsive/cold-responsive protein family, which contains a hydrophobic N-terminal 20 amino acid sequence that corresponds to signal peptides associated with extracellular trafficking. To verify the subcellular localization of WLT10 and the function of its putative signal peptide, we constructed three chimeric genes in which either the WLT10 signal peptide, a signal peptide with only 6 additional amino acids, or the full-length WLT10 polypeptide was fused to the N-terminus of green fluorescent protein (GFP). These fusion constructs were transiently introduced into onion epidermal cells by particle bombardment. GFP signals were observed not only in the extracellular space (ECS) but also in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi apparatus. The time course of GFP signal localization suggests the movement of WLT10 through the ER/Golgi pathway and into the ECS. Thus, WLT10 is a cold-responsive secreted protein, and its N-terminal 20 amino acid region is important for transport to the ECS.