The role of antifreeze proteins in the regulation of genes involved in the response of to cold.

Cold temperatures are a major source of stress for plants and negatively impact crop yield. A possible way to protect plants is to treat them with antifreeze proteins (AFPs). Here, we investigated whether fish AFPs can shield the rare ornamental species from low-temperature stress. We elucidated the expression patterns of the cold-inducible genes C-repeat binding factor 1 () and dehydrin 1 (), as well as the antioxidant genes superoxide dismutase () and catalase (). All were upregulated at low temperature (4 °C). With increasing exposure time, and expression generally rose (except at 48 h). In contrast, and expression gradually declined from 6 to 48 h. Depending on exposure duration, AFP regulation of gene transcription varied with concentration. However, compared with other concentrations, 100 µg/L AFP reduced and expression and increased and expression in plants, regardless of exposure time. Both AFP I and III were likely to be most effective at protecting plants against cold stress at concentrations of 100 µg/L. Their involvement in cold-stress treatment occurred through regulating the expression of important stress-response genes.