Abstract
Low temperature (or cold) is one of the major environmental factors that limit the growth and development of many plants. Various plant species have evolved complex mechanisms to adjust to decreased temperature. Mesophilic chlorophytes are a widely distributed group of eukaryotic photosynthetic organisms, but there is insufficient information about the key molecular processes of their cold acclimation. The best available model for studying how chlorophytes respond to and cope with variations in temperature is the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Chlamydomonas has been widely used for decades as a model system for studying the fundamental mechanisms of the plant heat stress response. At present, unraveling novel cold-regulated events in Chlamydomonas has attracted increasing research attention. This mini-review summarizes recent progress on low-temperature-dependent processes in the model alga, while information on other photosynthetic organisms (cyanobacteria and land plants) was used to strengthen generalizations or specializations of cold-induced mechanisms in plant evolution. Here, we describe recent advances in our understanding of cold stress response in Chlamydomonas, discuss areas of controversy, and highlight potential future directions in cold acclimation research.
Highlights
Plants encounter various abiotic stresses, and fluctuations in temperature are among the most common
The global cellular responses used by chlorophytes and other microorganisms to survive at low temperatures have been extensively investigated in the past few years with a focus on psychrophilic species (Margesin and Miteva, 2011; Cvetkovska et al, 2017; Collins and Margesin, 2019)
The enhanced abundance of several photosynthesis-related proteins has been reported under cold stress in Arabidopsis, winter wheat, and rice (Janmohammadi et al, 2015). The accumulation of such proteins with the partial recovery of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis proteins in Chlamydomonas suggests the presence of a potential mechanism to reestablish the features of the photosynthetic machinery present in the alga before the onset of cold stress
Summary
Plants encounter various abiotic stresses, and fluctuations in temperature are among the most common. Higher plants respond to cold treatment through complex processes at different levels, including physiological modifications and changes in cell membrane lipid composition and concentrations of proteins and metabolites (Kazemi-Shahandashti and Maali-Amiri, 2018). Cold-impacted plants induce the Chlamydomonas Cold Stress Response expression of a variety of genes that are controlled by abscisic acid-dependent and -independent pathways (Shi and Yang, 2014).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
