FATTY ACID UNSATURATION AND THE EXPRESSION OF A FATTY ACID DESATURASE GENE DURING ROOT ACCLIMATION TO CHILLING IN BRASSICA NAPUS (CANOLA)

The ability of plants to acclimate to changes in temperature is critical to plants that live in fluctuating environments.
The goal of this research is to investigate root system acclimation to decreased temperature.
The time course of water flux through detopped root systems, root fatty acid composition and root desaturase gene expression are examined following a temperature decrease from 25°C to 10°C. Water flux through the root system decreased due to the temperature decrease; however, flux begins to recover within 4 hours and reaches 50% of the control level after 36 hours.
Increased fatty acid unsaturation parallels the increased water flux.
Transcript levels for the fad3 gene that codes for the desaturase that converts linoleic acid to linolenic acid also increased in response to decreased temperature.
These results suggest that acclimation of root system function occurs within hours of a temperature decrease and that an important part of the acclimation response is an increase in fatty acid unsaturation that is due to an upregulation of the fad3 desaturase gene.

Strategies for Market Oriented Greenhouse Production

Sung W. Kwon, Pamela L. Sanders, A.H. Markhart III

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1996.434.28