Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Plant Cell logoLink to The Plant Cell
. 1998 Jul;10(7):1151–1161. doi: 10.1105/tpc.10.7.1151

HOS1, a genetic locus involved in cold-responsive gene expression in arabidopsis.

M Ishitani 1, L Xiong 1, H Lee 1, B Stevenson 1, J K Zhu 1
PMCID: PMC144054  PMID: 9668134

Abstract

Low-temperature stress induces the expression of a variety of genes in plants. However, the signal transduction pathway(s) that activates gene expression under cold stress is poorly understood. Mutants defective in cold signaling should facilitate molecular analysis of plant responses to low temperature and eventually lead to the identification and cloning of a cold stress receptor(s) and intracellular signaling components. In this study, we characterize a plant mutant affected in its response to low temperatures. The Arabidopsis hos1-1 mutation identified by luciferase imaging causes superinduction of cold-responsive genes, such as RD29A, COR47, COR15A, KIN1, and ADH. Although these genes are also induced by abscisic acid, high salt, or polyethylene glycol in addition to cold, the hos1-1 mutation only enhances their expression under cold stress. Genetic analysis revealed that hos1-1 is a single recessive mutation in a nuclear gene. Our studies using the firefly luciferase reporter gene under the control of the cold-responsive RD29A promoter have indicated that cold-responsive genes can be induced by temperatures as high as 19 degrees C in hos1-1 plants. In contrast, wild-type plants do not express the luciferase reporter at 10 degrees C or higher. Compared with the wild type, hos1-1 plants are l ess cold hardy. Nonetheless, after 2 days of cold acclimation, hos1-1 plants acquired the same degree of freezing tolerance as did the wild type. The hos1-1 plants flowered earlier than did the wild-type plants and appeared constitutively vernalized. Taken together, our findings show that the HOS1 locus is an important negative regulator of cold signal transduction in plant cells and that it plays critical roles in controlling gene expression under cold stress, freezing tolerance, and flowering time.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (406.6 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Chandler J., Wilson A., Dean C. Arabidopsis mutants showing an altered response to vernalization. Plant J. 1996 Oct;10(4):637–644. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-313x.1996.10040637.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Chen H. H., Li P. H., Brenner M. L. Involvement of abscisic Acid in potato cold acclimation. Plant Physiol. 1983 Feb;71(2):362–365. doi: 10.1104/pp.71.2.362. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Gilmour S. J., Thomashow M. F. Cold acclimation and cold-regulated gene expression in ABA mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Mol Biol. 1991 Dec;17(6):1233–1240. doi: 10.1007/BF00028738. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Guy C. L., Haskell D. Detection of polypeptides associated with the cold acclimation process in spinach. Electrophoresis. 1988 Nov;9(11):787–796. doi: 10.1002/elps.1150091115. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hajela R. K., Horvath D. P., Gilmour S. J., Thomashow M. F. Molecular Cloning and Expression of cor (Cold-Regulated) Genes in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Physiol. 1990 Jul;93(3):1246–1252. doi: 10.1104/pp.93.3.1246. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Ishitani M., Xiong L., Stevenson B., Zhu J. K. Genetic analysis of osmotic and cold stress signal transduction in Arabidopsis: interactions and convergence of abscisic acid-dependent and abscisic acid-independent pathways. Plant Cell. 1997 Nov;9(11):1935–1949. doi: 10.1105/tpc.9.11.1935. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Jarillo J. A., Leyva A., Salinas J., Martinez-Zapater J. M. Low Temperature Induces the Accumulation of Alcohol Dehydrogenase mRNA in Arabidopsis thaliana, a Chilling-Tolerant Plant. Plant Physiol. 1993 Mar;101(3):833–837. doi: 10.1104/pp.101.3.833. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Jonak C., Kiegerl S., Ligterink W., Barker P. J., Huskisson N. S., Hirt H. Stress signaling in plants: a mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway is activated by cold and drought. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1996 Oct 1;93(20):11274–11279. doi: 10.1073/pnas.93.20.11274. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Knight H., Trewavas A. J., Knight M. R. Cold calcium signaling in Arabidopsis involves two cellular pools and a change in calcium signature after acclimation. Plant Cell. 1996 Mar;8(3):489–503. doi: 10.1105/tpc.8.3.489. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Knight M. R., Campbell A. K., Smith S. M., Trewavas A. J. Transgenic plant aequorin reports the effects of touch and cold-shock and elicitors on cytoplasmic calcium. Nature. 1991 Aug 8;352(6335):524–526. doi: 10.1038/352524a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kurkela S., Borg-Franck M. Structure and expression of kin2, one of two cold- and ABA-induced genes of Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Mol Biol. 1992 Jul;19(4):689–692. doi: 10.1007/BF00026794. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kurkela S., Franck M. Cloning and characterization of a cold- and ABA-inducible Arabidopsis gene. Plant Mol Biol. 1990 Jul;15(1):137–144. doi: 10.1007/BF00017731. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Lang V., Mantyla E., Welin B., Sundberg B., Palva E. T. Alterations in Water Status, Endogenous Abscisic Acid Content, and Expression of rab18 Gene during the Development of Freezing Tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Physiol. 1994 Apr;104(4):1341–1349. doi: 10.1104/pp.104.4.1341. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Lin C., Thomashow M. F. DNA Sequence Analysis of a Complementary DNA for Cold-Regulated Arabidopsis Gene cor15 and Characterization of the COR 15 Polypeptide. Plant Physiol. 1992 Jun;99(2):519–525. doi: 10.1104/pp.99.2.519. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Liu J., Zhu J. K. Proline accumulation and salt-stress-induced gene expression in a salt-hypersensitive mutant of Arabidopsis. Plant Physiol. 1997 Jun;114(2):591–596. doi: 10.1104/pp.114.2.591. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Lynch D. V., Steponkus P. L. Plasma Membrane Lipid Alterations Associated with Cold Acclimation of Winter Rye Seedlings (Secale cereale L. cv Puma). Plant Physiol. 1987 Apr;83(4):761–767. doi: 10.1104/pp.83.4.761. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Lång V., Palva E. T. The expression of a rab-related gene, rab18, is induced by abscisic acid during the cold acclimation process of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. Plant Mol Biol. 1992 Dec;20(5):951–962. doi: 10.1007/BF00027165. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Miquel M., James D., Jr, Dooner H., Browse J. Arabidopsis requires polyunsaturated lipids for low-temperature survival. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1993 Jul 1;90(13):6208–6212. doi: 10.1073/pnas.90.13.6208. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Mohapatra S. S., Poole R. J., Dhindsa R. S. Abscisic Acid-regulated gene expression in relation to freezing tolerance in alfalfa. Plant Physiol. 1988 Jun;87(2):468–473. doi: 10.1104/pp.87.2.468. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Monroy A. F., Dhindsa R. S. Low-temperature signal transduction: induction of cold acclimation-specific genes of alfalfa by calcium at 25 degrees C. Plant Cell. 1995 Mar;7(3):321–331. doi: 10.1105/tpc.7.3.321. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Nordin K., Vahala T., Palva E. T. Differential expression of two related, low-temperature-induced genes in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. Plant Mol Biol. 1993 Feb;21(4):641–653. doi: 10.1007/BF00014547. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Stockinger E. J., Gilmour S. J., Thomashow M. F. Arabidopsis thaliana CBF1 encodes an AP2 domain-containing transcriptional activator that binds to the C-repeat/DRE, a cis-acting DNA regulatory element that stimulates transcription in response to low temperature and water deficit. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997 Feb 4;94(3):1035–1040. doi: 10.1073/pnas.94.3.1035. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Vigh L., Los D. A., Horváth I., Murata N. The primary signal in the biological perception of temperature: Pd-catalyzed hydrogenation of membrane lipids stimulated the expression of the desA gene in Synechocystis PCC6803. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1993 Oct 1;90(19):9090–9094. doi: 10.1073/pnas.90.19.9090. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Yamaguchi-Shinozaki K., Shinozaki K. A novel cis-acting element in an Arabidopsis gene is involved in responsiveness to drought, low-temperature, or high-salt stress. Plant Cell. 1994 Feb;6(2):251–264. doi: 10.1105/tpc.6.2.251. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Yamaguchi-Shinozaki K., Shinozaki K. Characterization of the expression of a desiccation-responsive rd29 gene of Arabidopsis thaliana and analysis of its promoter in transgenic plants. Mol Gen Genet. 1993 Jan;236(2-3):331–340. doi: 10.1007/BF00277130. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Plant Cell are provided here courtesy of Oxford University Press

RESOURCES