A novel J-domain protein gene was cloned from wheat （Triticum aestivum L.） using RT-PCR technology and named as TaJ. The J-domain protein is defined by the presence of a J-domain. The cDNA of T. aestivum gene, TaJ （GenBank accession number： DQ789026）, was 1263 bp and contained a complete open reading frame （ORF） encoding a J-domain protein of 420 amino acid residues. The predicted amino acid sequence of TaJ possesses three functionally essential domains： the Nterminal J-domain which includes the highly conserved HPD tripeptide, an adjacent domain that is rich in glycine and phenylalanine residues （G/F） and a Cysteine-rich zinc-finger domain with four repeats of CxxCxGxG that is important for protein interactions. The C-terminal of TaJ was -CAQQ, a farnesylation motif. The full-length deduced amino acid sequence of TaJ is highly homologous to J-domain proteins from various plant species. Southern blot analysis indicated that a single copy of TaJ existed in wheat genome. The expression pattern of TaJ performed by real-time PCR demonstrated that heat shock （HS） at 37℃ induced the expression of TaJ rapidly and strongly, but the response of the TaJ gene to cold stress was much slower than that to HS. Tissue-specific expression analysis showed that the expression level of TaJ gene was much higher in leaves than that in roots.
