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Comparative genome organization reveals a single copy of CBF in the freezing tolerant crucifer Thlaspi arvense

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Abstract

The weedy crucifer species Thlaspi arvense has the ability to acclimate to lower temperatures than Arabidopsis thaliana and the related crop species, Brassica napus. As a step towards understanding the genetic basis for this enhanced low temperature response, we isolated and sequenced 8.7 kb of genomic DNA encompassing the T. arvense CBF locus. CBF is a transcription factor believed to play a pivotal role in the development of plant freezing tolerance. Sequence analysis revealed that T. arvense contains a single copy of CBF, whereas the co-linear, homologous region in A. thaliana contains three tandem copies. Genes that flank CBF in A. thaliana are also present in a co-linear arrangement in T. arvense. Comparative sequence alignment also revealed the presence of conserved sequence blocks between T. arvense and A. thaliana promoter regions. The expression of T. arvense CBF responds rapidly to low temperature but not demonstrably to ABA, dehydration or high salt, which is comparable to that of the A. thaliana CBF genes. Over-expression of Ta-CBF in transgenic A. thaliana resulted in the development of constitutive freezing tolerance, comparable to that of cold acclimated A. thaliana.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a grant from the Saskatchewan Agriculture Development Fund. We thank Drs Ian McGregor and Dr. Francois Ouellet for helpful discussion. We would also like to thank Urike Schafer for technical assistance in the early stages of this project.

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  1. Ning Zhou

    Present address: National Research Council of Canada, Plant Biotechnology Institute, 110 Gymnasium Place, Saskatoon, SK, Canada, S7N 0W9

  2. Nicholas J. Bate

    Present address: Agronomic Traits, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, 7250 N.W. 62nd Avenue, Johnston, IA, 50131-0552, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Saskatoon Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 107 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, Canada, S7N-0X2

    Ning Zhou, Stephen J. Robinson, Terry Huebert, Nicholas J. Bate & Isobel A. P. Parkin

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  1. Ning Zhou
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Correspondence to Isobel A. P. Parkin.

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Zhou, N., Robinson, S.J., Huebert, T. et al. Comparative genome organization reveals a single copy of CBF in the freezing tolerant crucifer Thlaspi arvense . Plant Mol Biol 65, 693–705 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11103-007-9235-y

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