Isolation and characterization of a cDNA encoding a CBF transcription factor from E. globulus

The transcription factors CBF/DREB play an important role during low temperature, drought and high-salt stress in higher plants. In this work, we isolated one full-length CBF cDNA clone from the angiosperm Eucalyptus globulus. The derived peptide sequence reveals that it encodes a transcriptional activator that has all the characteristic motifs present in CBF proteins previously described in Arabidopsis and tomato. RT-PCR analysis shows that EgCBF1 is transiently induced in E. globulus seedlings that had been exposed to low temperature within the first 15 min. These results suggest that the isolated CBF gene participates in the cold responsive pathway of E. globulus.