Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Genetic studies of antifreeze proteins and their correlation with winter survival in wheat

  • Published:
Euphytica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) accumulate in the leaves of winter cereals during cold acclimation, where they may inhibit ice recrystallization during freezing and thawing cycles and provide nonspecific disease resistance. In this study, 21 wheat chromosome substitution lines and the parental lines Chinese Spring and Cheyenne wheat were used to determine the heritability of AFPs and the relationship between the accumulation of AFPs and winter survival. In cold-acclimated lines, antifreeze activity in leaf apoplastic extracts ranged from 1 (low) to 5 (high) with an average value of 3.2, and the accumulation of apoplastic proteins ranged from 30 μg (g FW)-1 to 115 μg (g FW)-1 with a mean value of 70 μ (g FW)-1. Examination of the individual lines revealed that Cheyenne chromosomes 5B and 5D carry major regulatory genes that increase both antifreeze activity and the accumulation of antifreeze proteins in plants grown at low temperature. Substitution lines carrying Cheyenne chromosomes 2A, 3A, 6B, and 7A exhibited lower freezing tolerance and also showed a marked decrease in the accumulation of specific AFPs during cold acclimation. Antifreeze activity and apoplastic protein content were not correlated with freezing tolerance (defined as % survival at -11 °C), but they were both significantly and positively correlated with winter field survival rates. Antifreeze activity (positively correlated) and total leaf fresh weight (negatively correlated) together accounted for about 55% of the variation in winter survival, indicating that high antifreeze activity and slow vegetative growth at low temperature are both important quantitative traits for winter survival.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Antikainen, M. & M. Griffith, 1997. Antifreeze accumulation in freezing-tolerant cereals. Physiol Plant 99: 423–432.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Antikainen, M., M. Griffith, J. Zhang, W.-C. Hon, D.S.C. Yang & K. Pihakaski-Maunsbach, 1996. Immunolocalization of antifreeze proteins in winter rye leaves, crowns and roots by tissue printing. Plant Physiol 110: 845–857.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bradford, M.M., 1976. A rapid and sensitive method for the quantification of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye binding. Anal Biochem 72: 341–374.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cahalan, C. & C.N. Law, 1979. The genetical control of cold resistance and vernalization requirement in wheat. Heredity 42: 125–132.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeVries, A.L., 1986. Antifreeze glycopeptides and peptides: interactions with ice and water. Methods Enzymol 127: 293–303.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Galiba, G., S.A. Quarrie, J. Sutka, A. Morgounov & J.W. Snape, 1995. RFLP mapping of the vernalization (Vrn1) gene and frost resistance (Fr1) genes on chromosome 5A of wheat. Theor Appl Genet 90: 1174–1179.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Griffith, M. & H.C.H. McIntyre, 1993. The interrelationship of growth and frost tolerance in winter rye. Physiol Plant 87: 335–344.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Griffith, M. & M. Antikainen, 1997. Extracellular ice formation in freezing-tolerant plants. Adv Low-Temp Biol 3: 107–139.

    Google Scholar 

  • Griffith, M., P. Ala, D.S.C. Yang, W.C. Hon & B.A. Moffatt, 1992. Antifreeze protein produced endogenously in winter rye leaves. Plant Physiol 100: 593–596.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Griffith, M., M. Antikainen, W.C. Hon, K. Pihakaski-Maunsbach, X.M. Yu, J.U. Chun & D.S.C. Yang, 1997. Antifreeze proteins in winter rye. Physiol Plant 100: 327–332.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gullard, M., C.R. Olien & E.H. Everson, 1975. Evaluation of freezing hardiness in winter wheat. Crop Sci 15: 153–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoffman, A.A. & P.A. Parsons, 1991. Evolutionary genetics and environmental stress, pp. 97–173. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hon, W.-C., M. Griffith, P. Chong & D.S.C. Yang, 1994. Extraction and isolation of antifreeze proteins from winter rye (Secale cereale L.) leaves. Plant Physiol 104: 971–980.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hon, W.-C., M. Griffith, A. Mlynarz, Y.A. Kwok & D.S.C. Yang, 1995. Antifreeze proteins in winter rye are similar to pathogenesis-related proteins. Plant Physiol 109: 879–889.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Houde, M., R.S. Dhindsa & F. Sarhan, 1992. A molecular marker to select for freezing tolerance in Gramineae. Mol Gen Genet 234: 43–48.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huner, N.P.A. & F.D.H. Macdowall, 1976. Chloroplastic proteins of wheat and rye grown at cold-hardening temperatures. Can J Biochem 54: 848–853.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Knight, C.A. & J.G. Duman, 1986. Inhibition of the recrystallization of ice by insect thermal hysteresis proteins: a possible cryoprotective role. Cryobiology 23: 256–262.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Laemmli, U.K., 1970. Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature 227: 680–685.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Limin, A.E., J. Danyluk, L.P. Chauvin, D.B. Fowler & F. Sarhan, 1997. Chromosome mapping of low-temperature induced Wes120 family genes and regulation of cold-tolerance expression in wheat. Mol Gen Genet 253: 720–727.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marentes, E., M. Griffith, A. Mlynarz & R.A. Brush, 1993. Proteins accumulate in the apoplast of winter rye leaves during cold acclimation. Physiol Plant 87: 499–507.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Parodi, P.C., W.E. Nyquist, F.L. Patterson & H.F. Hodges, 1983. Traditional combining ability and Gardner-Eberhart analyses of a diallel for cold resistance in winter wheat. Crop Sci 23: 314–318.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, D.W.A., 1986. Chromosomes in 'Cadet' and 'Rescue' wheats carrying loci for cold hardiness and vernalization response. Can J Genet Cytol 28: 991–997.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snape, J.W., A. Semikhodskii, L. Fish, R.N. Sarma, S.A. Quarrie, G. Galiba & J. Sutka, 1997. Mapping frost tolerance loci in wheat and comparative mapping with other cereals. Acta Agron Hung 45: 265–270.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sutka, J., 1981. Genetic studies of frost resistance in wheat. Theor Appl Genet 59: 145–152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sutka, J., 1994. Genetic control of frost tolerance in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Euphytica 77: 277–282.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sutka, J. & E. Rajki, 1979. Cytogenetic study of frost resistance in the winter wheat variety 'Rannyaya 12' by F2 monosomic analysis. Cereal Res Commun 7: 281–283.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sutka, J. & J.W. Snape, 1989. Location of a gene for frost resistance on chromosome 5A of wheat. Euphytica 42: 41–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sutka, J., G. Galiba & J.W. Snape, 1997. Inheritance of frost resistance in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Acta Agron Hung 45: 257–263.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agronomy, Sunchon National University, Sunchon, Korea, 540-742

    J.U. Chun

  2. Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada

    X.M. Yu & M. Griffith

Authors
  1. J.U. Chun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. X.M. Yu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M. Griffith
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Chun, J., Yu, X. & Griffith, M. Genetic studies of antifreeze proteins and their correlation with winter survival in wheat. Euphytica 102, 219–226 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018333730936

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018333730936

Search

Navigation