Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 22, 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
Post-acclimation transcriptome adjustment is a major factor in freezing tolerance of winter wheat
1USDA-ARS and Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA. dan.skinner@ars.usda.gov
Functional & Integrative Genomics
|June 3, 2009
Summary
Winter wheat plants adapt to cold by altering gene expression, with many genes related to transcription regulation and signal transduction being upregulated during freezing stress. Genetic differences in this adaptation exist among cultivars.
Area of Science:
- Plant Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Winter wheat exhibits cold acclimation to survive freezing temperatures.
- Understanding the molecular mechanisms of freezing tolerance is crucial for crop improvement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate gene expression changes in winter wheat crowns during freezing stress.
- To identify key genes and pathways involved in cold acclimation and freezing tolerance.
Main Methods:
- Cold-acclimated winter wheat plants were subjected to controlled freezing temperatures (-10°C and -12°C).
- Gene expression profiling was performed to identify significantly altered genes.
- Differential gene expression analysis was conducted between cultivars Norstar and Tiber.
Main Results:
- A total of 423 genes showed altered expression, with a 9:1 ratio of upregulation to downregulation.
- Sixty-eight genes, including transcription factors (e.g., C-repeat binding factor) and signal transduction proteins (kinases, phosphatases), were highly upregulated.
- Six chlorophyll a/b binding-like protein genes were uniquely upregulated at -12°C, suggesting a role in freezing protection.
- Differential gene responses were observed between the freezing-tolerant Norstar and moderately tolerant Tiber cultivars.
Conclusions:
- Wheat crowns actively adapt to declining temperatures through significant gene expression changes.
- Upregulation of transcription regulation and signal transduction genes is a key response to freezing stress.
- Genetic variation in freezing tolerance adaptation exists among winter wheat cultivars.
Related Concept Videos
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.
01:10Transcription
Overview
Transcription is the process of synthesizing RNA from a DNA sequence by RNA polymerase. It is the first step in producing a protein from a gene sequence. Additionally, many other proteins and regulatory sequences are involved in the proper synthesis of messenger RNA (mRNA). Regulation of transcription is responsible for the differentiation of all the different types of cells and often for the proper cellular response to environmental signals.
Transcription Can Produce Different Kinds...
Transcription is the process of synthesizing RNA from a DNA sequence by RNA polymerase. It is the first step in producing a protein from a gene sequence. Additionally, many other proteins and regulatory sequences are involved in the proper synthesis of messenger RNA (mRNA). Regulation of transcription is responsible for the differentiation of all the different types of cells and often for the proper cellular response to environmental signals.
Transcription Can Produce Different Kinds...
01:57Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss
Though evaporation from plant leaves drives transpiration, it also results in loss of water. Because water is critical for photosynthetic reactions and other cellular processes, evolutionary pressures on plants in different environments have driven the acquisition of adaptations that reduce water loss.