Figure 1.

The defensin family member DEF8 is highly expressed in rice grains. A, Expression of the defensin family members in different anatomical parts. Data were obtained and profiled according to Genevestigator. The darkest burgundy color represents the “maximum” level of expression for a given probe across all measurements available in the database. B, Phylogenetic tree for DEF family members in rice was constructed using MEGA7 based on the multiple sequence alignments of defensin proteins from EMBL-EBI database, using neighbor-joining method of the ClustalX program. CAL1 and DEF8 were highlighted in red. C, Expression pattern of DEF8 in various rice tissues. Root, leaf, and sheath were harvested from 2-week-old seedlings. LB (leaf blade), FB (flag leaf blade), FS (flag leaf sheath), LS (leaf sheath), rachis, glume, brown rice, InN (internode), Node I, and Node II were harvested during the reproductive stage. Values are mean ± sd and normalized to Actin1, n = 3. D, DEF8 expression in 2-week-old seedlings treated with 0 µM (CK) or 10 μM (Cd) Cd for another 7 days. Actin1 was used as an internal control. Values are mean ± sd, and significance was determined by ANOVA test (P < 0.05), n = 4.