Functional and expression analyses of two kinds of betaine aldehyde dehydrogenases in a glycinebetaine-hyperaccumulating graminaceous halophyte, Leymus chinensis.

Glycinebetaine (GB) is an important compatible solute for salinity tolerance in many plants. In this study, we analyzed the enzymatic activity and the expression level of betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase (BADH), an important enzyme that catalyzes the last step in the GB synthesis in Leymus chinensis, a GB-hyperaccumulating graminaceous halophyte, and compared with those of barley, a graminaceous glycophyte. We have isolated cDNAs for two BADH genes, LcBADH1 and LcBADH2.