Figure 4.

A schematic exhibition of cold perception, transduction, and final counter-response of wheat. The plasma membrane is the first site to perceive cold stress. Membrane rigidity increased with the accumulation of carbohydrates and inside fluid transited to less mobile (gel) or amorphous glassy state. Subsequently, the influx of receptors (Ca²⁺, ROS, Phytohormones), initiation of cascades of protein kinases, and protein cascade-driven up/downstream regulation generate gene expressions to aid cold tolerance (Modified from Guo et al., 2018, 2019). [Here, $\uparrow$ indicates enhanced activity]. ROS, Reactive Oxygen Species; ABA, Abscisic Acid; JA, Jasmonic Acid; SA, Salicylic Acid; CDPKs, Ca²⁺-Dependent Protein Kinase; CBL, Calcineurin B-like Proteins; CaM, Calmodulin Proteins; MAPK, Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase; PKABA, Protein Kinase induced by ABA; ICE, Inducer of CBF Expressions; CBF, Carbon Repeating Binding Factor; COR, Cold Responsive Proteins.