U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Plant Stress and Germplasm Development Research: Lubbock, TX
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    Careers


        


                    Projects
                        NP 301Search small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Plains Area Lubbock, Texas Cropping Systems Research Laboratory Plant Stress and Germplasm Development Research Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications

Title:   Author  item
                                            Xin, Zhanguoitem
                                            Chen, Junpingitem
                                            MANDAOKAR, ANJIN - WSUitem
                                            LAST, ROBERT - MSUitem
                                            BROWSE, JOHN - WSU
  Submitted to: Plant Journal
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 10/17/2006
                                    Publication  Date: 3/1/2007
                                    Citation: Xin, Z., Chen, J., Mandaokar, A., Last, R., Browse, J. 2007. Arabidopsis ESK1 encodes a novel regulator of freezing tolerance. Plant Journal. 49:786-799.Interpretive Summary: Many temperate plants acquire freezing tolerance in response to a period of low nonfreezing temperatures through an adaptive process known as cold acclimation.  Cold acclimation is complex and involves multiple pathways.  To identify the mechanisms modulating freezing tolerance in higher plants, we have isolated a series of Arabidopsis mutants that are constitutively freezing tolerant in the absence of cold acclimation. Non-acclimated esk1 mutant can withstand freezing at -10oC while wild-type Arabidopsis can only survive freezing at -5oC.  Using positional cloning strategy, we identified the gene, ESK1, which encodes a novel regulator of freezing tolerance. Genechip analysis revealed that 169 genes were up-regulated and 137 genes were down-regulated for two-fold or more in esk1 mutants.  The identification of ESK1 gene offered a new avenue to improve freezing tolerance in plants.
                                Technical Abstract: Many temperate plants acquire freezing tolerance in response to a period of low nonfreezing temperatures through an adaptive process known as cold acclimation.  Cold acclimation is complex and involves multiple changes in gene expression, metabolism, and morphology.  Recessive or knockout mutations in ESK1 gene of Arabidopsis activated a constitutive freezing tolerance equivalent to 70% of the freezing tolerance obtainable in fully acclimated wild-type plants.  Transcriptome analysis in a missense mutant allele and a knockout mutant allele revealed that 169 genes were up-regulated and 137 genes were down-regulated for two-fold or more in esk1 mutants.  The ESK1-mediated genes included nine known or putative protein kinases, eight type 2C protein phosphatases, and 35 transcription factors.  31 up-regulated and 35 down-regulated genes in esk1 mutants overlapped with that induced by cold acclimation.  Some these genes were also regulated by abscisic acid treatment or by overexpressing of CBF/DREB transcription factors.  Positional cloning of ESK1 gene uncovered a large family of plant-specific proteins whose function has not been previously characterized.  The recessive nature of esk1 mutations and the wide-spectrum of genes altered in the mutants suggested the ESK1 protein may serve as a novel negative regulator of cold acclimation.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov