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An heuristic hypothesis of chilling injury in plants: a role for calcium as the primary physiological transducer of injury
Author(s) -
MINORSKY P. V.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
plant, cell and environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.646
H-Index - 200
eISSN - 1365-3040
pISSN - 0140-7791
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3040.1985.tb01226.x
Subject(s) - cytosol , calcium , biophysics , chemistry , homeostasis , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , biology , enzyme , organic chemistry
. It is suggested that increased levels of free cytosolic calcium ([Ca 2+ ] cyt ) may serve as the primary physiological transducer of chilling injury in plants. Numerous similarities between the effects of [Ca 2+ ] cyt ‐raising treatments on plants and the effects of chilling temperatures on chilling‐sensitive (CS) plants are noted. It is proposed that chilling temperatures may lead to increases in [Ca 2+ ] cyt in CS plant cells by reducing the rate at which they exclude Ca 2+ from their cytosol and that rapid cooling (coldshock) may cause rapid increases in [Ca 2+ ] cyt due to the activation of voltage‐dependent cation channels. Chill‐induced increases in [Ca 2+ ] cyt in the cells of CS plants may reflect either an inherent inability of such plants to maintain homeostatic levels of Ca 2+ at low temperatures or a stress‐induced reaction which has evolved to enable such cells to cope more effectively with the short‐term hardships imposed by cold. Previous proposals concerning the physiological transduction of chilling injury are also discussed. It is argued that there is little evidence to suggest that the immediate effects of low temperatures on CS cells include either decreases in ATP levels, general increases in the passive permeability of membranes, or increased rates of fermentation.