Low temperature is one of the important environmental changes that affect plant growth. The cold resistance capabilities of evergreen plants are the result of long-term adaptation to extreme environmental conditions.

Dr. Chunfang LU, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese of Academy of Sciences, researched the responses of Ammopiptanthus nanus, a rare stress-tolerant evergreen plant, to extreme cold stress (-29ºC). The results indicated that 500 protein spots detected in the samples, the eight of the spots that exhibited clear changes under different conditions were identified by MALDITOF analyses. The results suggest that cold stress-related proteins may play diverse roles in the resistance to multiple environmental stresses.

The result had been published on the Plant Growth Regulation, 2010, 62: 65-70. Doi: 10.1007/s10725-010-9487-4.

Figure A closer view of differentially expressed protein spots affected by extreme cold condition. The spots from the sample under relatively less extreme cold condition