Science · 2010 · 506 citations · 22 references
Life SciencesPlant BiologyPlant SciencesPlant BiochemistryPlant Molecular BiologyPlant PhysiologyChloroplast BiochemistryChloroplast BiologyChloroplast StructureFreezing InjuryMembrane ProteinsThylakoid Membrane StructureChloroplast Membrane DamageChloroplast StabilityFreezingFreezing Resistance MechanismsLipid Bilayer MembranesLipid Membrane RemodelingMembrane Lipid RemodelingMembrane Stability Under Stress
Freezing temperatures damage plant cells by disrupting water balance and stressing lipid bilayers, and a protein in Arabidopsis thaliana that, when disrupted, increases freezing susceptibility has been studied. SFR2 remodels chloroplast lipid bilayers by swapping headgroups, stabilizing membranes during freezing. Moellering et al.
Freezing Tolerance Explained Freezing temperatures exact a toll on plant cells through various mechanisms, including disruption of water balances as ice crystals form. Cellular and organelle lipid bilayers are also put under stress. Moellering et al. (p. 226 , published online 26 August; see the Perspective by Browse ) analyzed the function of a protein in the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana that, when disrupted, leaves plants more susceptible to damage by freezing. The protein, SENSITIVE TO FREEZING 2 (SFR2), shifts and swaps lipid headgroups, altering the chemistry of the chloroplast lipid bilayer membranes to stabilize them during freezing.
22