Function of and under heat and oxidative stresses in tomato.

Lipocalins are very important proteins for stress resistance in plants. To better understand the function of tomato lipocalins, we observed responses to oxidative stress using over-expressed , , , and silenced-plants. Significant differences in reactive oxygen species accumulation (oxidative damage) were observed in all tested plants under heat stress. Plants with over-expressed , , and showed less oxidative damage compared with wild-type plants under heat stress. The expression of was induced in over-expressed , , and plants under normal and heat stress conditions. Furthermore, silenced , , and plants showed slightly increasing oxidative damage under heat stress alongside with lower under normal and stress conditions. These results suggest that , , and were involved in antioxidant defense by eliminating ROS in tomato plants.