A member of a large family of seven-transmembrane domain proteins specific to plants, homologs of the barley mildew resistance locus o (MLO) protein. The Arabidopsis genome contains 15 genes encoding MLO proteins, with localization in plasma membrane. Phylogenetic analysis revealed four clades of closely-related AtMLO genes. ATMLO2 belongs to the clade IV, with AtMLO3, AtMLO6 and AtMLO12. The gene is expressed during early seedling growth, in roots, in vascular system of cotyledons and young leaves,and in fruit abscission zone; it was not expressed in anthers and pollen, as shown by GUS activity patterns. The expression of several phylogenetically closely-related AtMLO genes showed similar or overlapping tissue specificity and analogous responsiveness to external stimuli, suggesting functional redundancy, co-function, or antagonistic function(s). mlo resistance in A. thaliana does not involve the signaling molecules ethylene, jasmonic acid or salicylic acid, but requires a syntaxin, glycosyl hydrolase and ABC transporter.
Computational Description
MILDEW RESISTANCE LOCUS O 2 (MLO2); FUNCTIONS IN: calmodulin binding; INVOLVED IN: defense response to fungus, incompatible interaction, cell death, response to fungus, negative regulation of defense response, defense response; LOCATED IN: plasma membrane; EXPRESSED IN: 29 plant structures; EXPRESSED DURING: 14 growth stages; CONTAINS InterPro DOMAIN/s: Mlo-related protein (InterPro:IPR004326); BEST Arabidopsis thaliana protein match is: Seven transmembrane MLO family protein (TAIR:AT1G61560.1); Has 559 Blast hits to 538 proteins in 60 species: Archae - 0; Bacteria - 0; Metazoa - 1; Fungi - 2; Plants - 551; Viruses - 0; Other Eukaryotes - 5 (source: NCBI BLink).