Chaperonin-mediated winter cold response via circadian clock components in Arabidopsis - PubMed
4 days ago
- #chaperonin
- #cold acclimation
- #circadian rhythm
- Plants adapt to winter through vernalization (enabling flowering after prolonged cold) and cold acclimation (enhancing freezing tolerance).
- The cytosolic chaperonin TCP1 Ring Complex (TRiC)/Chaperonin Containing TCP1 (CCT) complex is identified as a critical regulator of both vernalization and cold acclimation in Arabidopsis.
- A missense mutation in CCT8 impairs vernalization and freezing tolerance, reducing expression of key regulators VIN3 and CBFs.
- TRiC is required for the accumulation of REVEILLE (RVE) transcription factors, which are core components of the circadian oscillator.
- RVE8 activates VIN3 and CBF expression by binding to their promoters.
- TRiC promotes RVE abundance during cold exposure, contributing to epigenetic silencing of FLOWERING LOCUS C and CBF-dependent freezing tolerance.
- VIN3 expression is circadian-regulated and preferentially induced by cold during the subjective day, indicating circadian gating.
- The findings reveal a TRiC-RVE-VIN3/CBF regulatory framework linking circadian signaling with seasonal cold adaptation.
- The study shows how protein-folding machinery modulates transcription factors to coordinate developmental processes and stress responses in winter.