Signaling and protection systems in the adaptation of plants to cold

Abstract

Global climate change increases the urgency of the problem of plant resistance to stress temperatures. Due to temperature instability in winter, as well as the earlier onset of meteorological spring with frosts, the likelihood of lowtemperature damage to plants increases. Adaptive strategies of the different plant species have their own specific features.The review uses mainly the examples of cultivated plants to analyze the current understanding of the mechanisms of cold stress signal perception and transmission to genetic apparatus. Emphasis is placed on the participation of new signal mediators (gasotransmitters) -nitric oxide and hydrogen sulfide -in the formation of plant defense reactions under hypothermia. Data on the role of antioxidant and osmoprotective systems as well as specific proteins in plant adaptation to cold are summarized. The issues of functional interaction between the components of stress-protective systems during cold adaptation are discussed. The opportunities are outlined for the practical use of gasotransmitter donors as agents for plant priming in order to increase their resistance to hypothermia. The possibilities of using indicators of the state of stress-protective systems to search for donors of resistance are also critically analyzed.

Influence of Cold Stress on Physiological and Phytochemical Characteristics and Secondary Metabolite Accumulation in Microclones of Juglans regia L.

“…Additionally, it provides protection against temperature stress and passive moisture loss [62,63]. Therefore, the observed sensitivity of J. regia leaf tissues to cold stress was likely to lead to significant changes in photosynthesis parameters [64]. Furthermore, under light exposure conditions, photosystem II (PSII) is more susceptible to cold stress than photosystem I (PSI) [65].…”

“…Recent studies have begun to actively explore the multicomponent nature of the plant antioxidant system, where all components interact functionally [64]. Modern theories suggest that low-temperature damage in plants starts with a rapid increase in cell membrane stiffness due to lipid bilayer phase transitions [85].…”