Constitutive expression of the cold-regulated COR15a gene of Arabidopsis thaliana results in a significant increase in the survival of isolated protoplasts frozen over the range of ؊4.5 to ؊7°C. The increased freezing tolerance is the result of a decreased incidence of freeze-induced lamellar-tohexagonal II phase transitions that occur in regions where the plasma membrane is brought into close apposition with the chloroplast envelope as a result of freeze-induced dehydration. Moreover, the mature polypeptide encoded by this gene, COR15am, increases the lamellar-to-hexagonal II phase transition temperature of dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine and promotes formation of the lamellar phase in a lipid mixture composed of the major lipid species that comprise the chloroplast envelope. We propose that COR15am, which is located in the chloroplast stroma, defers freeze-induced formation of the hexagonal II phase to lower temperatures (lower hydrations) by altering the intrinsic curvature of the inner membrane of the chloroplast envelope.The ability to endure low temperatures and freezing is a major determinant of the geographical distribution and productivity of agricultural crops. Even in areas considered suitable for the cultivation of a given species or cultivar, decreases in yield and crop failure frequently occur as a result of aberrant, freezing temperatures. In spite of attempts to minimize damage to freezing-sensitive crops-primarily by using energy-costly practices to modify the microclimate-substantial economic losses resulting from freezing are incurred annually in a diverse array of agricultural crops.Only modest increases (1-2°C) in the freezing tolerance of crop species would have a dramatic impact on agricultural productivity and profitability. The development of genotypes with increased freezing tolerance would provide a more reliable means to minimize crop losses from freezing stresses and greatly diminish the use of energy-costly practices to modify the microclimate. However, there has been little progress in improving the freezing tolerance of crop species by using classical plant breeding approaches. For example, the freezing tolerance of the best wheat varieties today is essentially the same as the most freezing-tolerant varieties developed in the early part of this century (1). Currently, there is considerable interest in the use of genetic engineering techniques for increasing the freezing tolerance of agricultural crop species.Since 1985, when Guy et al.(2) first reported that gene expression is altered during cold acclimation, remarkable progress has been made in identifying an ever-increasing number of genes that are regulated by low temperatures (3, 4). Many of these genes encode hydrophilic polypeptides with little or no homology with previously described polypeptides. These include the COR and LTI genes of Arabidopsis thaliana (5-7), the COR and pao86 genes of barley (8, 9), and the A͞ES genes of alfalfa (10). It is widely speculated that these genes might have roles in freezing tolera...