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Cold acclimation in bryophytes: low-temperature-induced freezing tolerance in Physcomitrella patens is associated with increases in expression levels of stress-related genes but not with increase in level of endogenous abscisic acid

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Abstract

Bryophyte species growing in areas in which temperatures fall below zero in winter are likely to have tolerance to freezing stress. It is well established in higher plants that freezing tolerance is acquired by exposure to non-freezing low temperatures, accompanied by expression of various genes and increases in levels of the stress hormone abscisic acid (ABA). However, little is known about the physiological changes induced by cold acclimation in non-vascular plants such as bryophytes. We examined the effects of low temperatures on protonema cells of the moss Physcomitrella patens (Hedw.) Bruch & Schimp. The freezing tolerance of protonema cells was clearly increased by incubation at low temperatures ranging from 10°C to 0°C, with maximum tolerance achieved by incubation at 0°C for several days. The enhancement of freezing tolerance by low temperatures occurred in both light and dark conditions and was accompanied by accumulation of several transcripts for late-embryogenesis-abundant (LEA) proteins and boiling-soluble proteins. By de-acclimation, low-temperature-induced expression of these transcripts and proteins, as well as the freezing tolerance, was reduced. Interestingly, endogenous levels of ABA in tissues or that secreted into the culture medium were not specifically increased by low-temperature treatment. Furthermore, removal of ABA from the medium by addition of activated charcoal did not affect low-temperature-induced freezing tolerance of the protonema cells. Our results provide evidence that bryophytes have an ABA-independent cold-signaling pathway leading to expression of stress-related genes and resultant acquisition of freezing tolerance.

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Abbreviations

ABA :

Abscisic acid

GC–MS :

Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

LEA :

Late embryogenesis abundant

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Acknowledgements

We thank Takako Matsushita for her technical assistance. We also thank Dr. Asami at the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN), Japan for providing the [13C2]ABA. This work was supported by a grant-in aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture of Japan and “Probrain” from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, 060-0819, Sapporo, Japan

    Anzu Minami & Daisuke Takezawa

  2. Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, 060-8589, Sapporo, Japan

    Manabu Nagao, Keita Arakawa & Seizo Fujikawa

  3. Department of Biological Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 192-0397, Tokyo, Japan

    Keiichi Ikegami & Tomokazu Koshiba

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  1. Anzu Minami
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  2. Manabu Nagao
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  7. Daisuke Takezawa
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Correspondence to Daisuke Takezawa.

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Minami, A., Nagao, M., Ikegami, K. et al. Cold acclimation in bryophytes: low-temperature-induced freezing tolerance in Physcomitrella patens is associated with increases in expression levels of stress-related genes but not with increase in level of endogenous abscisic acid. Planta 220, 414–423 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-004-1361-z

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