Researchers from The University of Western Australia (UWA) have found that
the enzyme ATP Synthase plays a critical role in how plants respond to the
cold. Dr. Nicolas Taylor from UWA's School of Molecular Sciences and the ARC
Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology (PEB) said that climate changes
make it increasingly important to understand how plants respond to
temperature.

Dr. Taylor said that their study observed plants in near-freezing conditions
where they saw a decrease in the production of ATP, a plant cell's main
energy currency, which led to reduced growth. "Based on a number of
international studies, it was previously thought that other components of
energy production were more sensitive than this enzyme, however, we were
surprised to identify ATP Synthase as the culprit."

Dr. Sandra Kerbler, from UWA and PEB said the benefits of understanding a
crucial enzyme for energy production being so sensitive to cold was of great
use to the agricultural industry and to the future of producing
frost-resistant crops. "The research has changed previous thoughts of how
plants cope with temperature stress and has highlighted new angles for
investigation," Dr. Kerbler said.

[www.news.uwa.edu.au]
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