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Genetically engineered alteration in the chilling sensitivity of plants

Nature volume 356, pages 710–713 (1992)Cite this article

A Correction to this article was published on 18 June 1992

Abstract

THE chilling sensitivity of plants is closely correlated with the degree of unsaturation of fatty acids in the phosphatidylglycerol of chloroplast membranes1–5. Plants with a high proportion of cis-unsaturated fatty acids, such as spinach and Arabidopsis thaliana, are resistant to chilling, whereas species like squash with only a small proportion are not. The chloroplast enzyme glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase seems to be important for determining the level of phosphatidylglycerol fatty acid unsaturation6–9. Here we report that the level of fatty acid unsaturation of phosphatidylglycerol and the degree of chilling sensitivity of Nicotiana tabacum var. Samsum (tobacco) can be manipulated by transformation with complementary DNAs for glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferases from squash and Arabidopsis. The genetic manipulation of fatty acid unsaturation is known to alter the chilling sensitivity of prokaryotes10, and we have now demonstrated that it can also do so in higher plants.

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Author notes

  1. O. Ishizaki-Nishizawa: Central Laboratories for Key Technology, Kirin Brewery Co., Shioya, Tochigi, 329-14, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute for Basic Biology, Myodaiji, Okazaki, 444, Japan

    N. Murata, O. Ishizaki-Nishizawa, S. Higashi, H. Hayashi, Y. Tasaka & I. Nishida

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  1. N. Murata
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  2. O. Ishizaki-Nishizawa
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  3. S. Higashi
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  5. Y. Tasaka
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  6. I. Nishida
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Murata, N., Ishizaki-Nishizawa, O., Higashi, S. et al. Genetically engineered alteration in the chilling sensitivity of plants. Nature 356, 710–713 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1038/356710a0

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