Cold Sensing in Cold Acclimation Process: for Understanding the Season Sensing of Plants

Abstract

Temperate plants enhance their freezing tolerance before winter to survive in freezing environment. Plants use the cytosolic transient Ca²⁺ concentration change as a kind of signal to regulate gene expression in cold acclimation process. We developed the experimental system for observation of Ca²⁺ signal during cooling, and observed Ca²⁺ signal to understand “how plants sense cold and seasonal changes.” We found several characteristics of Ca²⁺ signal and cold sensing. For example, plants adjust the Ca²⁺ signal to the ambient temperature to response small temperature decrease, and then small temperature fluctuation induces the cold-inducive transcription factor DREB1/CBFs expression via Ca²⁺ signals.