Collin Juurakko PhD Candidate, WALKER LAB Cold acclimation and freezing tolerance in the model cereal Brachypodium distachyon Low temperatures pose extreme challenges to crops causing significant economical impacts. Frost events, which are increasing in frequency due to climate change, can cause upwards of $7 billion in damages and are particularly devastating for communities reliant on a bountiful harvest, especially for cereal grains that contribute to most human calories. Some pathogens participate in these losses by promoting freezing at high sub-zero temperatures by way of ice-nucleating proteins to access intracellular nutrients. To survive freezing, dehydration and pathogen attacks, the model cereal, Brachypodium, only needs two days at 4 °C to cold acclimate. My thesis project shows that during this short period, there are many changes to the plasma membrane proteome, stress crosstalk modeling, leaf microbiome community, and include the synthesis of dual-function antifreeze proteins that are necessary for freeze survival, controlling ice nucleating proteins, and for the antipathogen response. This research thus anticipates a range of future biotechnological solutions from cryopreservation to frozen product additives, as well as the engineering of transgenic crops with enhanced freezing tolerance.
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