Toshihiro Toguri

Low-Temperature Resistance of Higher Plants is Significantly Enhanced by a Non-Specific Δ9 Desaturase from Cyanobacteria

Many important crops are injured or killed by exposure to low nonfreezing temperatures. The presence of only one centrally positioned cis-double bond in the fatty acids in polar lipids effectively decreases the phase transition temperature [1]. There has been sustained interest in the possible role of the saturation level of membrane lipids as a determinant factor of chilling sensitivity of higher plants. However, it has been difficult to establish correlations between the saturation level of total membrane lipids of different higher plant species and chilling sensitivity [2].