Abstract:The fulllength of cDNA of six CsAQP genes were cloned from tea plant, and named as CsNIP1;1, CsNIP5;1, CsPIP2;1, CsPIP2;2, CsTIP1;1 and CsTIP2;2, respectively, based on the phylogenetic analysis and sequence similarity.Amino acid sequence characteristics analysis showed that their amino acid residues length are ranged from 250 to 301, and those of molecular weight are ranged from 25.186 to 30.728 kD. All CsAQPs are hydrophobic proteins, and have 6 transmembrane helices in each member. Moreover, they are conserved on the characteristic sequence HF/I/VNPA/SI/L/VTI/FA/G, the two NPA (AsnProAla) motifs, and the hourglass fold of MIP protein family. The realtime RTPCR results showed that six CsAQPs were ubiquitously expressed in roots, stems, leaves and flowers, whereas all of them had the highest level in roots, indicating that they might be closely related to the regulation of water transport in the roots of tea plant. The expression patterns of CsAQPs were modulated by ABA, salt, drought and cold treatments, demonstrating that they are involved in the tea plant response to abiotic stress.