The cold dependent accumulation of COR TMC-AP3 in cereals with contrasting, frost tolerance is regulated by different mRNA expression and protein turnover

Isolation and characterization of cold-regulated transcriptional activator LpCBF3 gene from perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)

In plants, low temperatures can activate the CBF cold response pathway playing a prominent role in cold acclimation by triggering a set of cold-related gene expressions. CBF homologous gene, designated as LpCBF3, from a cold-tolerant perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) accession was identified. It carries the sequences for nuclear localization signal (NLS), AP2 DNA-binding domains and an acidic activation present in most of the plant CBF proteins. Southern analysis indicated the presence of three homologs of LpCBF3 gene in perennial ryegrass genome, and only one amino acid variation in LpCBF3 protein between cold-tolerant and -sensitive perennial ryegrass accessions. In their putative promoter regions, some differential regions were found. Northern blotting and RT-PCR analysis found that LpCBF3 reached the highest expression after 1.5 h of cold treatment (4 degrees C). The COR homologous gene, a downstream gene of CBF, can be expressed in the plant stem of cold-tolerant perennial ryegrass accessions without cold treatment. Without cold treatment, the COR gene cannot be activated in cold-sensitive perennial ryegrass accessions. Cold treatment can prompt expression levels of COR homologous genes in both perennial ryegrass accessions. In transgenic Arabidopsis, the overexpression of LpCBF3 with the 35S promoter resulted in dwarf-like plants, later flowering and greater freezing tolerance.

An AP2 domain transcription factor HvCBF1 activates expression of cold-responsive genes in barley through interaction with a (G/a)(C/t)CGAC motif

A HvCBF1 cDNA encoding an AP2 domain-containing protein was isolated from barley leaves. Expression of HvCBF1 was induced in barley leaves by exposure to a low temperature (2 degrees C), but not by drought or abscisic acid (ABA) treatment. Functional analysis showed that HvCBF1 was a transcriptional activator, capable of activating expression of reporter genes driven by a cold- and drought-responsive HVA1s promoter in barley leaves. Transactivation analysis of HvCBF1 on a number of synthetic oligonucleotides containing potential C-repeat (CRT)/dehydration-responsive element (DRE) derived from cold-responsive barley genes revealed that HvCBF1 interacted much more efficiently with a GCCGAC motif than a previously identified barley low-temperature-responsive element (LTRE), CCGAAA. A detailed base-substitution mutagenesis study revealed that only the CGAC sequence of the GCCGAC motif was highly conserved for interacting with HvCBF1. The promoter activity of the mutant motifs, ACCGAC and GTCGAC, was 36% and 75% of that of the GCCGAC motif, respectively. The base composition surrounding the GCCGAC motif also had a significant effect on the efficiency of the motif. These data suggest that barley HvCBF1 protein interacts with the (G/a)(C/t)CGAC motif and is involved in regulation of cold-responsive genes in barley via an ABA-independent signal transduction pathway.

Plants in a cold climate

Plants are able to survive prolonged exposure to sub-zero temperatures; this ability is enhanced by pre-exposure to low, but above-zero temperatures. This process, known as cold acclimation, is briefly reviewed from the perception of cold, through transduction of the low-temperature signal to functional analysis of cold-induced gene products. The stresses that freezing of apoplastic water imposes on plant cells is considered and what is understood about the mechanisms that plants use to combat those stresses discussed, with particular emphasis on the role of the extracellular matrix.