Letter abstract
Nature Genetics 39, 1410 - 1413 (2007)
Published online: 28 October 2007 | doi:10.1038/ng.2007.3
Light-quality regulation of freezing tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana
Keara A Franklin1 & Garry C Whitelam1
To acquire freezing tolerance, higher plants require a period of low temperature (usually <4 °C) termed cold acclimation. Upon transfer of plants to low temperature, increased expression of the CRT/DRE binding factor (CBF) family of transcriptional activators leads to the upregulation of genes containing a C-repeat/drought-responsive (CRT/DRE) promoter element and metabolic changes that enhance tolerance to subzero temperatures1. Here, we show that a low red to far-red ratio (R/FR) light signal increases CBF gene expression in Arabidopsis thaliana in a manner dependent on the circadian clock. This light quality–dependent increase in CBF expression is sufficient to confer freezing tolerance at temperatures higher than those required for cold acclimation. Furthermore, the use of light-quality signals to stimulate CBF expression has revealed ambient temperature–dependent coupling of CBF transcription factors to downstream COLD REGULATED (COR) genes, providing evidence for a second temperature-regulated step in this pathway.
- Department of Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
Correspondence to: Keara A Franklin1 e-mail: kaf5@le.ac.uk
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