Abstract
Cold acclimation is a process used by most temperate plants to cope with freezing stress. In this process, the expression of cold-responsive (COR) genes is activated and the genes undergo physiological changes in response to the exposure to low, non-freezing temperatures and other environmental signals. The C-repeat-binding factors (CBFs) have been demonstrated to regulate the expression of many COR genes. Recent studies have elucidated the molecular mechanisms of how plants transmit cold signals from the plasma membrane to the CBFs and the results have indicated that COR genes are also regulated through CBF-independent pathways. Climate change is expected to have a major impact on cold acclimation and freezing tolerance of plants. However, how climate change affects plant cold acclimation at the molecular level remains unclear. This mini-review focuses on recent advances in cold acclimation in Arabidopsis thaliana and discusses how signaling can be potentially impacted by climate change. Understanding how plants acquire cold acclimation is valuable for the improvement of the freezing tolerance in plants and for predicting the effects of climate change on plant distribution and agricultural yield.
Highlights
IntroductionCold temperature (chilling or freezing) is a recurring phenomenon that limits the geographical distribution and agricultural yield of plants
Cold temperature is a recurring phenomenon that limits the geographical distribution and agricultural yield of plants
This review focuses on how the cold signal is sensed and transduced into the nucleus and the potential impact of climate change on plant cold acclimation is discussed
Summary
Cold temperature (chilling or freezing) is a recurring phenomenon that limits the geographical distribution and agricultural yield of plants. Activation of the MPK3/6 pathway is likely restricted to the cytosol during the early stages, whereas it promotes degradation of ICE1 in the nucleus at a later stage (Liu and Zhou 2018) These studies have proposed a model to account for how plants transmit a cold signal from the plasma membrane to the CBF-regulated COR genes during cold acclimation. Recent studies indicated that CAMTA3 and CAMTA5 regulate the expression of CBF1 and CBF2 during the day and night in response to a rapid but not slow temperature decrease, suggesting that CAMTA3 and CAMTA5 may function in cold shock signaling but not in the temperature change from autumn to winter (Kidokoro et al 2017). Studies on the CBF pathway will have important implications for the expansion of plant ranges, invasiveness, and adaptation to novel climates
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