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Freeze/thaw-induced destabilization of the plasma membrane and the effects of cold acclimation

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Abstract

Disruption of the plasma membrane is a primary cause of freezing injury. In this review, the mechanisms of injury resulting from freeze-induced cell dehydration are presented, including destabilization of the plasma membrane resulting from (a) freeze/thaw-induced osmotic excursions and (b) lyotropic phase transitions in the plasma membrane lipids. Cold acclimation dramatically alters the behavior of the plasma membrane during a freeze/thaw cycle—increasing the tolerance to osmotic excursions and decreasing the propensity for dehydration-induced lamellar to hexagonal-II phase transitions. Evidence for a casual relationship between the increased cryostability of the plasma membrane and alterations in the lipid composition is reviewed.

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  1. Department of Agronomy, Cornell University, 14853, Ithaca, New York

    Peter L. Steponkus & Daniel V. Lynch

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  1. Peter L. Steponkus
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Steponkus, P.L., Lynch, D.V. Freeze/thaw-induced destabilization of the plasma membrane and the effects of cold acclimation. J Bioenerg Biomembr 21, 21–41 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00762210

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