Changes in gene expression of Scots pine buds during the winter and under experimentally altered light and temperature conditions

Vegetative buds of Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) were collected during the apparently dormant phase in January and February and at the beginning of the growth phase in May. Wintering Scots pine plants were placed in climate chambers in which either the daily photoperiod or the temperature simulated the situation in early spring, whereas the other conditions were characteristic of midwinter.
The amount of total ribosome populations and their in vitro translation capacities were independent of the height of the tree or place of collection, but both were dependent on the season; the amount of ribosomes per fresh weight of buds was lower in spring than in winter, whereas the translation capacity in spring exceeded that in winter. Poly(A)⁺ RNA was purified from the ribosomes and translated in vitro and the translation products were separated by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The polypeptide patterns proved that changes in gene expression can occur in plants growing outdoors even during the season of severe cold. In the climate chamber experiments, lengthening of the daily photoperiod increased the in vitro translation capacity of the buds within 7 days even at temperatures below 0°C, whereas a rise in temperature seemed to cause a more transient stress effect. Both treatments induced alterations in the pattern of in vitro polypeptide synthesis. It is suggested that while improvements in both light and temperature hastened the development of the buds under experimental growth conditions, the lengthening of the day may be the factor which induces a change in wintertime metabolism under natural conditions.