Cold acclimation in plants: Relationship between the lipid composition and the cryostability of the plasma membrane

Cold acclimation of plants requires an orchestration of many different, seemingly disparate processes. However, many of these processes that occur during cold acclimation ultimately contribute to the increased stability of cellular membranes during freeze-induced dehydration―the destabilization of which is the primary cause of the freezing injury. Among all cellular membranes, the plasma membrane is of primary importance to maintain its structural integrity because of the central role it plays during a freeze/thaw cycle. We will describe here that there is a close association between the alterations of the plasma membrane lipid composition and the difference in the incidence of freeze-induced membrane lesions during cold acclimation. The stability of the plasma membrane during freeze-induced dehydration is also affected by factors associated with the endomembranes (the chloroplast envelope lipid composition) and the cytoplasm (the accumulation of sugars and the cold-regulated gene expression). Collectively, these results indicate that the structural integrity of the plasma membrane during freeze-induced dehydration is maintained by a complex but well-coordinated manner.