Project description:During cold acclimation plants increase their freezing tolerance in response to low non-freezing temperatures. This is accompanied by many physiological, biochemical and molecular changes that have been extensively investigated. In addition, many cold acclimated plants become more freezing tolerant during exposure to mild, non-damaging sub-zero temperatures. There is hardly any information available about the molecular basis of this adaptation. However, Arabidopsis thaliana is among the species that acclimate to sub-zero temperatures. This makes it possible to use the molecular and genetic tools available in this species to identify components of sub-zero signal transduction and acclimation. Here, we have used microarrays and a qRT-PCR primer platform covering 1880 genes encoding transcription factors to monitor changes in gene expression in the accessions Columbia-0, Rschew and Tenela during the first three days of sub-zero acclimation at -3°C. The results indicate that gene expression during sub-zero acclimation follows a tighly controlled time-course. Especially AP2/EREBP and WRKY transcription factors may be important regulators of sub-zero acclimation, although the CBF signal transduction pathway seems to be less important during sub-zero than during cold acclimation. Globally, we estimate that approximately 5% of all Arabidopsis genes are regulated during sub-zero acclimation. Particularly photosynthesis-related genes were down-regulated and genes belonging to the functional classes of cell wall biosynthesis, hormone metabolism and RNA regulation of transcription were up-regulated. Collectively, these data provide the first global analysis of gene expression during sub-zero acclimation and allow the identification of candidate genes for forward and reverse genetic studies into the molecular mechanisms of sub-zero acclimation. We used whole genome microarrays to monitor changes in gene expression in the Arabidopsis thaliana accessions Columbia-0, Rschew and Tenela during three days of acclimation to sub-zero temperature at -3°C after cold acclimation
Project description:During cold acclimation plants increase their freezing tolerance in response to low non-freezing temperatures. This is accompanied by many physiological, biochemical and molecular changes that have been extensively investigated. In addition, many cold acclimated plants become more freezing tolerant during exposure to mild, non-damaging sub-zero temperatures. There is hardly any information available about the molecular basis of this adaptation. However, Arabidopsis thaliana is among the species that acclimate to sub-zero temperatures. This makes it possible to use the molecular and genetic tools available in this species to identify components of sub-zero signal transduction and acclimation. Here, we have used microarrays and a qRT-PCR primer platform covering 1880 genes encoding transcription factors to monitor changes in gene expression in the accessions Columbia-0, Rschew and Tenela during the first three days of sub-zero acclimation at -3°C. The results indicate that gene expression during sub-zero acclimation follows a tighly controlled time-course. Especially AP2/EREBP and WRKY transcription factors may be important regulators of sub-zero acclimation, although the CBF signal transduction pathway seems to be less important during sub-zero than during cold acclimation. Globally, we estimate that approximately 5% of all Arabidopsis genes are regulated during sub-zero acclimation. Particularly photosynthesis-related genes were down-regulated and genes belonging to the functional classes of cell wall biosynthesis, hormone metabolism and RNA regulation of transcription were up-regulated. Collectively, these data provide the first global analysis of gene expression during sub-zero acclimation and allow the identification of candidate genes for forward and reverse genetic studies into the molecular mechanisms of sub-zero acclimation. We used whole genome microarrays to monitor changes in gene expression in the Arabidopsis thaliana accessions Columbia-0, Rschew and Tenela during three days of acclimation to sub-zero temperature at -3°C after cold acclimation Plants from Arabidopsis thaliana accessions Columbia-0, Rschew and Tenela were cold acclimated at 4°C for two weeks. Detached leaves were then sub-zero acclimated at -3°C for 8 h, 1 d or 3 d at -3°C. Leaves of cold acclimated plants and sub-zero acclimated leaves were collected for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix ATH1 microarrays in order to explore temporal transcriptome changes during sub-zero acclimation. For each sample total RNA was isolated from a pool of three leaves from three different plants. The experiment was performed in three idenpendent biological replicates.
Project description:In Arabidopsis, CBFs transcription factors (CBF1, CBF2 and CBF3) play fundamental roles in plant cold tolerance, especially in cold-acclimation. By employing CRISPR/Cas9, we knocked out CBF1 and CBF2 simultaneously in cbf3 background and generated cbfs triple mutant. This mutant facilitated the discovery of CBF-regulated genes. In this study, Arabidopsis 14-d-old Col-0 and cbfs mutant were treated with cold stress (4 degree centigrade) for 0, 3 and 24 hours. The seedlings were harvested for total RNA extraction and sequencing.
Project description:Cold stress is one of the most severe environmental conditions which cause huge losses in crop production worldwide. We identified a DEAD box RNA helicase, RCF1 (Regulator of CBF gene expression 1) that controls pre-mRNA splicing of cold-stress-responsive genes including positive and negative regulators of CBF genes. We used whole genome tiling array analysis under cold stress to identify transcripts which are mis-spliced/intron-retained in rcf1-1.
Project description:Cold stress is one of the most severe environmental conditions which cause huge losses in crop production worldwide. We identified a DEAD box RNA helicase, RCF1 (Regulator of CBF gene expression 1) that controls pre-mRNA splicing of cold-stress-responsive genes including positive and negative regulators of CBF genes. We used whole genome tiling array analysis under normal growth conditions to identify transcripts which are mis-spliced/intron-retained in rcf1-1.
Project description:Functions of Arabidopsis REI1-LIKE (REIL) proteins, two homologs of a yeast ribosome biogenesis protein (RBP) that takes part in the late cytoplasmic steps of 60S ribosomal subunit maturation, were characterized by systems analyses of the 10°C cold acclimating reil1-1 reil2-1 double mutant compared to Col-0 wildtype. The mutant lacked both REIL proteins, was strongly growth inhibited in the cold and complemented by constitutive expression of N-terminal FLUORESCENT PROTEIN (FP)-REIL1 and FP-REIL2 fusion proteins under control of the UBIQUITIN 10 promoter. Wildtype acclimation to 10°C causes relative accumulation of cytosolic ribosome subunits and rRNA. Expression of cytosolic ribosomal genes, known cytosolic RBPs, translation initiation- and elongation-factors was activated. Conserved function of Arabidopsis REIL proteins was indicated by delay of these processes in reil1-1 reil2-1, cytosolic localization of FP-REIL proteins and native REIL protein interactions with 60S containing ribosome fractions. Non-acclimated reil1-1 reil2-1 triggered plant specific metabolic and transcriptomic cold acclimation responses that included activation of the DREB/CBF-regulon with a preference for the cold acclimation factors, CBF1/DREB1B, CBF2/DREB1C, and CBF3/DREB1A. Cold-acclimating reil1-1 reil2-1 maintained cellular integrity and acquired freezing tolerance but did not activate FLOWERING LOCUS T expression in mature leaves. This block was independent of FLOWERING LOCUS C and AGAMOUS-LIKE 19 mediated vernalization. We conclude that Arabidopsis REIL proteins enhance accumulation of cytosolic ribosome subunits after cold shift and either directly or indirectly feedback on temperature perception by suppression of premature cold acclimation at optimized temperature and by triggering growth and the vegetative to generative phase transition in the cold. Transcriptomic profiling demonstrated a hidden acclimation phenotype of the morphologically inconspicuous reil1-1reil2-1 mutant under optimized temperature conditions. Premature triggering of cold acclimation, a severe growth defect at 10°C and compensation responses indicate that REIL function may extend beyond cytosolic ribosome biogenesis towards translation initiation.
Project description:Brassinosteroids (BRs) are growth-promoting plant hormones that play a role in abiotic stress responses, but molecular modes that enable this activity remain largely unknown. Here we show that BRs participate in the regulation of freezing tolerance. BR signaling-defective mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana were hypersensitive to freezing before and after cold acclimation. The constitutive activation of BR signaling, in contrast, enhanced freezing resistance. Evidence is provided that the BR-controlled basic helix–loop–helix transcription factor CESTA (CES) can contribute to the constitutive expression of the C-REPEAT/DEHYDRATION-RESPONSIVE ELEMENT BINDING FACTOR (CBF) transcriptional regulators that control cold responsive (COR) gene expression. In addition, CBF-independent classes of BR-regulated COR genes are identified that are regulated in a BR- and CES-dependent manner during cold acclimation. A model is presented in which BRs govern different cold-responsive transcriptional cascades through the posttranslational modification of CES and redundantly acting factors. This contributes to the basal resistance against freezing stress, but also to the further improvement of this resistance through cold acclimation. We used microarray data to investigate the contribution of different pathways to cold tolerance of Arabidopsis thaliana .
Project description:Plants possess a cold acclimation system to acquire freezing tolerance through pre-exposure to non-freezing low temperatures. The transcriptional cascade of C-repeat binding factors (CBFs)/dehydration response element-binding factors (DREBs) is considered a major transcriptional regulatory pathway during cold acclimation. However, little is known regarding the functional significance of mRNA stability regulation in the response of gene expression to cold stress. The actual level of individual mRNAs is determined by a balance between mRNA synthesis and degradation. Therefore, it is important to assess the regulatory steps to increase our understanding of gene regulation. Here, we analyzed temporal changes in mRNA amounts and half-lives in response to cold stress in Arabidopsis cell cultures based on genome-wide analysis. In this mRNA decay array method, mRNA half-life measurements and microarray analyses were combined. In addition, temporal changes in the integrated value of transcription rates were estimated from the above two parameters using a mathematical approach. Our results showed that several cold-responsive genes, including Cold-regulated 15a, were relatively destabilized, whereas the mRNA amounts were increased during cold treatment by accelerating the transcription rate to overcome the destabilization. Considering the kinetics of mRNA synthesis and degradation, this apparently contradictory result supports that mRNA destabilization is advantageous for the swift increase in CBF-responsive genes in response to cold stress.
Project description:We conducted microarray analysis to study comprehensive changes of gene expression profile under long-term low-temperature (LT) treatment and to identify other LT-responsive genes related with cold acclimation in seedling leaves and crown tissues (shoots containing apical meristems) of a synthetic hexaploid wheat line. The microarray analysis revealed marked up-regulation of a number of Cor/Lea genes and fructan biosynthesis-related genes under the long-term LT treatment. For validation of the microarray data, we selected four synthetic wheat lines, which contained the A and B genomes from a tetraploid wheat cultivar Langdon and the diverse D genomes originating from the different Ae. tauschii accessions, with distinct levels of freezing tolerance after cold acclimation. Quantitative RT-PCR analyses showed that the transcription accumulated levels of the Cor/Lea, CBF, and fructan biosynthesis-related genes were higher in more freezing-tolerant lines than those in the sensitive lines. The fructan biosynthesis pathway would be associated with cold acclimation to develop wheat freezing tolerance and related with diversity of the freezing tolerance level in addition to the CBF-mediated Cor/Lea expression pathway.