Cold (chilling or freezing) stress affects the growth and geographical distribution of plants,and it is one of the main factors that restricts crop yield and quality.Plants respond to cold signals by activating a series of effectors to adapt to cold stress.MAP protein kinase family plays a crucial role in plant response to environmental stresses,but it remains unclear whether they are directly involved in perception,transduction or/and networks in cold signaling.Recently,three research groups in China highlight the important role of MAP kinase in cold signaling transduction in Arabidopsis thaliana and rice,respectively.Low temperature activates MPK kinase that phosphorylates the ICE1 protein.Stability of ICE1 is controlled by MAP kinase mediated ICE phosphorylation,thus regulating freezing and chilling tolerance in plants.Their studies have advanced our understanding of the ICE1-mediated network of plant cold responses,which is an important breakthrough in the field.The outcome of these studies would provide a powerful theoretical basis for future molecular design breeding in crops.%低温胁迫(冷害和冻害)严重影响植物的生长发育和地理分布,是制约作物产量和品质的主要因素之一.在自然界,植物通过感知低温信号并启动一系列响应机制来抵御冷冻伤害.MAP蛋白激酶家族在植物响应逆境胁迫信号过程中发挥重要作用,但其是否参与冷冻胁迫信号传递仍不清楚.最近,朱健康、杨淑华和种康研究团队先后报道了拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana)和水稻(Oryza sativa)通过MAPK级联反应途径参与冷冻胁迫应答反应,通过磷酸化ICE1来调控其稳定性,并阐明了ICE1提高植物抗冷冻能力的分子机制.他们的研究完善了ICE1介导的低温应答网络,是植物低温应答研究领域的重要突破,并为未来的作物分子设计育种提供了强有力的理论依据.
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