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Investigating the Role of Lipid Metabolism in Chilling and Freezing Tolerance

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Plant Cold Hardiness

Abstract

Within the broader context of how lipid composition affects the cell biology and physiology of plants, the question of how membrane unsaturation affects a plant’s ability to tolerate low-temperature stresses has a long and distinguished history. A series of Arabidopsis mutants with defects in lipid metabolism has provided important examples of how membrane fatty acid composition can affect plant temperature responses, although it is not complete clear how these specialized examples relate to chilling and freezing tolerance in horticulture. In this review, we will first provide a general introduction to the lipid mutants and then consider in detail some of the studies that have demonstrated the requirements of polyunsaturated membranes for proper growth and function of plants at chilling temperatures. A specific screen for mutants that are damaged by chilling has also been undertaken and the results and prospects for this approach are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, 99164-6340, USA

    Jim Tokuhisa, Jingrui Wu, Martine Miquel, Zhanguo Xin & John Browse

Authors
  1. Jim Tokuhisa
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  2. Jingrui Wu
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  3. Martine Miquel
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  4. Zhanguo Xin
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  5. John Browse
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA

    Paul H. Li

  2. Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA

    Tony H. H. Chen

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© 1997 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Tokuhisa, J., Wu, J., Miquel, M., Xin, Z., Browse, J. (1997). Investigating the Role of Lipid Metabolism in Chilling and Freezing Tolerance. In: Li, P.H., Chen, T.H.H. (eds) Plant Cold Hardiness. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0277-1_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0277-1_14

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-0279-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-0277-1

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