Responses of the plasma membrane to low temperatures |
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Authors: | Matsuo Uemura Yoko Tominaga Chihaya Nakagawara Satomi Shigematsu Anzu Minami Yukio Kawamura |
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Affiliation: | Cryobiosystem Research Center, Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, Morioka 020-8550, Japan; United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Iwate University, Morioka 020-8550, Japan; The 21st Century COE Program, Iwate University, Morioka 020-8550, Japan; Present address: Département des Sciences Biologiques, Universitédu Québec àMontréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3C 3P8 |
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Abstract: | The plasma membrane is considered to be the primary site of injury when plant cells are subjected to extracellular freezing. In order for plants or plant cells to acquire freezing tolerance, it is, thus, necessary that the plasma membrane increases its cryostability during freeze-thaw excursion. During cold acclimation both under natural and artificial conditions, there are compositional, structural and functional changes occurring in the plasma membrane, many, if not all, of which ultimately contribute to increased stability of the plasma membrane under freezing conditions. In addition, changes in the cytosol or intracellular compartments also affect the cryobehaviour of the plasma membrane during freeze-induced dehydration. Although many alterations occurring during cold acclimation influence the cryobehaviour of the plasma membrane comprehensively, recent advances in functional genomics approaches provide interesting information on the function of specific proteins for plasma membrane behaviour under freezing conditions. |
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