Quantitative proteomic analysis of short photoperiod and low-temperature responses in bark tissues of peach (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Prunus persica</Emphasis> L. Batsch)

In the temperate climate of the northern hemisphere, winter survival of woody plants is determined by the ability to acclimate to freezing temperatures and to undergo a period of dormancy. Cold acclimation in many woody plants is initially induced by short photoperiod and low, non-freezing temperatures. These two factors (5°C and short photoperiod) were used to study changes in the proteome of bark tissues of 1-year-old peach trees. Difference in-gel electrophoresis technology, a gel-based approach involving the labeling of proteins with different fluorescent dyes, was used to conduct a quantitative assessment of changes in the peach bark proteome during cold acclimation. Using this approach, we were able to identify differentially expressed proteins and to assign them to a class of either ‘temperature-responsive’ or ‘photoperiod-responsive’ proteins. The most significant factor affecting the proteome appeared to be low temperature, while the combination of low temperature and short photoperiod was shown to act either synergistically or additively on the expression of some proteins. Fifty-seven protein spots on gels were identified by mass spectrometry. They included proteins involved in carbohydrate metabolism (e.g., enolase, malate dehydrogenase, etc), defense or protective mechanisms (e.g., dehydrin, HSPs, and PR-proteins), energy production and electron transport (e.g., adenosine triphosphate synthases and lyases), and cytoskeleton organization (e.g., tubulins and actins). The information derived from the analysis of the proteome is discussed as a function of the two treatment factors: low temperature and short photoperiod. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.