Cold stress is a major environmental factor that limits plant growth and development. The C-repeat-binding factor (CBF)-dependent cold signaling pathway is extensively studied in Arabidopsis; however, the specific protein kinases involved in this pathway remain elusive. Here we report that OST1 (open stomata 1), a well-known Ser/Thr protein kinase in ABA signaling, acts upstream of CBFs to positively regulate freezing tolerance. The ost1 mutants show freezing hypersensitivity, whereas transgenic plants overexpressing OST1 exhibit enhanced freezing tolerance. The OST1 kinase is activated by cold stress. Moreover, OST1 interacts with both the transcription factor ICE1 and the E3 ligase HOS1 in the CBF pathway. Cold-activated OST1 phosphorylates ICE1 and enhances its stability and transcriptional activity. Meanwhile, OST1 interferes with the interaction between HOS1 and ICE1, thus suppressing HOS1-mediated ICE1 degradation under cold stress. Our results thus uncover the unexpected roles of OST1 in modulating CBF-dependent cold signaling in Arabidopsis.

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The phytohormone ethylene regulates multiple aspects of plant growth and development and responses to environmental stress. However, the exact role of ethylene in freezing stress remains unclear. Here, we report that ethylene negatively regulates plant responses to freezing stress in Arabidopsis thaliana. Freezing tolerance was decreased in ethylene overproducer1 and by the application of the ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid but increased by the addition of the ethylene biosynthesis inhibitor aminoethoxyvinyl glycine or the perception antagonist Ag + . Furthermore, ethylene-insensitive mutants, including etr1-1, ein4-1, ein2-5, ein3-1, and ein3 eil1, displayed enhanced freezing tolerance. By contrast, the constitutive ethylene response mutant ctr1-1 and EIN3-overexpressing plants exhibited reduced freezing tolerance. Genetic and biochemical analyses revealed that EIN3 negatively regulates the expression of CBFs and type-A Arabidopsis response regulator5 (ARR5), ARR7, and ARR15 by binding to specific elements in their promoters. Overexpression of these ARR genes enhanced the freezing tolerance of plants. Thus, our study demonstrates that ethylene negatively regulates cold signaling at least partially through the direct transcriptional control of cold-regulated CBFs and type-A ARR genes by EIN3. Our study also provides evidence that type-A ARRs function as key nodes to integrate ethylene and cytokinin signaling in regulation of plant responses to environmental stress.

Contents SummaryI.IntroductionII.Cold stress and physiological responses in plantsIII.Sensing of cold signals in plantsIV.Messenger molecules involved in cold signal transductionV.Cold signal transduction in plantsVI.Conclusions and perspectivesAcknowledgementsReferences Summary Cold stress is a major environmental factor that seriously affects plant growth and development, and influences crop productivity. Plants have evolved a series of mechanisms that allow them to adapt to cold stress at both the physiological and molecular levels. Over the past two decades, much progress has been made in identifying crucial components involved in cold‐stress tolerance and dissecting their regulatory mechanisms. In this review, we summarize recent major advances in our understanding of cold signalling and put forward open questions in the field of plant cold‐stress responses. Answering these questions should help elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying plant tolerance to cold stress.