Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2026
09:36
The Use of High-resolution Infrared Thermography (HRIT) for the Study of Ice Nucleation and Ice Propagation in Plants
Published on: May 8, 2015
Low Temperature-Induced Decrease in trans-Delta-Hexadecenoic Acid Content Is Correlated with Freezing Tolerance in
N P Huner1, J P Williams, E E Maissan
1Department of Plant Science, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada.
Plant Physiology
|January 1, 1989
Summary
Low temperature growth reduces trans-Delta(3)-hexadecenoic acid in phosphatidylglycerol in cereals, correlating with freezing tolerance. This impacts light harvesting complex II organization, aiding cold acclimation.
Area of Science:
- Plant Physiology
- Molecular Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Phosphatidylglycerol lipids are crucial for thylakoid membrane function.
- Plant adaptation to cold involves changes in membrane lipid composition.
- Trans-Delta(3)-hexadecenoic acid is a key fatty acid in phosphatidylglycerol.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of low growth temperature on trans-Delta(3)-hexadecenoic acid content in cereals and dicots.
- To determine the relationship between this lipid change and plant freezing tolerance.
- To explore the impact on light harvesting complex II organization.
Main Methods:
- Cultivating eight rye and wheat cultivars at 5°C.
- Analyzing fatty acid composition of phosphatidylglycerol in whole leaf extracts and isolated thylakoids.
- Assessing freezing tolerance and in vitro organization of light harvesting complex II.
Main Results:
- Low temperature growth decreased trans-Delta(3)-hexadecenoic acid in monocots (rye, wheat) by 0-74%, linearly correlating with freezing tolerance.
- Palmitic acid content increased in phosphatidylglycerol under cold growth.
- Only two of six cold-tolerant dicots showed significant decreases in trans-Delta(3)-hexadecenoic acid.
Conclusions:
- The modulation of phosphatidylglycerol by growth temperature affects light harvesting complex II organization differently across species.
- This mechanism plays a role in cold acclimation and freezing tolerance, particularly in cereals.
- The observed lipid changes are linked to physiological adaptations for surviving low temperatures.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:23Membrane Fluidity
Cell membranes are composed of phospholipids, proteins, and carbohydrates loosely attached to one another through chemical interactions. Molecules are generally able to move about in the plane of the membrane, giving the membrane its flexible nature called fluidity. Two other features of the membrane contribute to membrane fluidity: the chemical structure of the phospholipids and the presence of cholesterol in the membrane.Fatty acids tails of phospholipids can be either saturated or...
02:22Introduction to Plant Diversity
From Water to Land
02:45Responses to Heat and Cold Stress
Every organism has an optimum temperature range within which healthy growth and physiological functioning can occur. At the ends of this range, there will be a minimum and maximum temperature that interrupt biological processes.
03:12Freezing Point Depression and Boiling Point Elevation
Boiling Point Elevation
The boiling point of a liquid is the temperature at which its vapor pressure is equal to ambient atmospheric pressure. Since the vapor pressure of a solution is lowered due to the presence of nonvolatile solutes, it stands to reason that the solution’s boiling point will subsequently be increased. Vapor pressure increases with temperature, and so a solution will require a higher temperature than will pure solvent to achieve any given vapor pressure, including one...
The boiling point of a liquid is the temperature at which its vapor pressure is equal to ambient atmospheric pressure. Since the vapor pressure of a solution is lowered due to the presence of nonvolatile solutes, it stands to reason that the solution’s boiling point will subsequently be increased. Vapor pressure increases with temperature, and so a solution will require a higher temperature than will pure solvent to achieve any given vapor pressure, including one...
01:29Decreased Body Temperature
A decreased body temperature can occur in patients with hypothermia and frostbite. Heat loss with extended cold exposure overpowers the body's ability to create heat, resulting in hypothermia. Core temperature readings help classify hypothermia. Mild hypothermia is temperatures between 32 °C (89.6 °F) and 35°C (95 °F) and is caused by impaired thermoregulation. Moderate hypothermia is temperatures between 28 C (82.4 °F) and 32 °C (89.6 °F) caused by sustained extreme cold exposure, and severe...
01:24Freezing Point Depression and Boiling Point Elevation
When a non-volatile solute is added to a pure solvent, it results in the lowering of the freezing point of the solvent. This phenomenon is called freezing point depression. The extent to which the freezing point is lowered depends on the molality of the solute -the number of moles of solute per kilogram of solvent and the cryoscopic constant of the solvent.From the plot of chemical potential, μ, against temperature, it is evident that the μ of both solid and liquid solvents decrease with...