What is the cause of chilling
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Causes of Chilling Injury: A Comprehensive Review
Introduction to Chilling Injury in Plants
Chilling injury (CI) is a physiological defect that affects plants and their products when exposed to low but nonfreezing temperatures, leading to reduced quality and loss of product utilization1 4. Understanding the biochemical mechanisms behind CI is crucial for developing effective control strategies and maximizing shelf-life.
Membrane Lipid Phase Transitions and Integrity
One of the primary theories explaining CI involves low temperature-induced membrane lipid phase transitions, which lead to a loss of membrane integrity and physiological dysfunction1 7. The level of certain high melting phospholipids is related to the chill sensitivity of many plant tissues. Chilling stress triggers a membrane retailoring response that increases fluidity at reduced temperatures, further implicating membranes in CI1.
Enzymatic and Calcium Redistribution Effects
Another hypothesis suggests that CI results from the direct effect of reduced temperatures on enzymes or the indirect effect of membrane perturbations on intrinsic enzymes1. The redistribution of cellular calcium has also been proposed as a primary transducer of CI, given calcium's role as a secondary messenger in many cellular functions1.
Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Systems
Chilling stress induces oxidative stress, leading to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that promote the oxidation of proteins and lipids and inhibit protease activity5. Acclimated seedlings exhibit elevated levels of antioxidant enzymes, which help mitigate oxidative damage and enhance chilling tolerance5. The role of lipid peroxidation in CI development is similar to the senescent processes of free radical damage to tissue and progressive membrane rigidification1.
Ion and Water Homeostasis in Insects
In insects, chilling injury is associated with disruptions in ion and water homeostasis across membranes and epithelia, exacerbating the initial effects of chilling on membrane potential and cellular function6 9. Elevated extracellular potassium levels during cold exposure are particularly detrimental, causing cell death when combined with low temperatures9.
Molecular and Genetic Responses
Heat-induced chilling tolerance in citrus fruits involves the repression of genes related to lipid degradation and the activation of transcription factors involved in stress responses10. Exogenous treatments, such as ascorbic acid, can enhance chilling tolerance by modulating metabolism, osmolytes, antioxidants, and the transcriptional regulation of catalase and heat shock proteins8.
Conclusion
Chilling injury is a complex phenomenon influenced by multiple factors, including membrane lipid phase transitions, enzymatic activity, calcium redistribution, oxidative stress, and ion homeostasis. Understanding these mechanisms is essential for developing strategies to mitigate CI and improve the resilience of plants and insects to low-temperature stress. Further research is needed to explore these pathways and their interactions in greater detail.
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Most relevant research papers on this topic
CHILLING INJURY. A REVIEW OF POSSIBLE MECHANISMS
Chilling injury in plants may result from membrane lipid phase transitions, membrane changes, cellular calcium redistribution, or lipid peroxidation, resulting in reduced quality and shelf-life.
Literature Review
Highly CitedAcute cooling of the feet and the onset of common cold symptoms.
Acute chilling of the feet can cause the onset of common cold symptoms in around 10% of subjects, but further studies are needed to determine the relationship between symptom generation and respiratory infection.
RCT[The forensic medical assessment of the causes and conditions of the formation of the chilling injury].
Chilling injuries develop due to a disturbance in the relationship between an organism's hypothermic protection and the cooling potential of its environment, with causes and conditions being highly multivarious but potentially systematized.
Literature ReviewChilling Injury: A Review of Possible Causes
Chilling injury, caused by temperatures between 0° and 15°C, causes irreversible damage to tropical and subtropical species, reducing yield and quality, and understanding its causes and resistance mechanisms can help design better cultural practices and develop more resistant cultivars.
Highly CitedMechanisms of chilling-induced oxidative stress injury and tolerance in developing maize seedlings: changes in antioxidant system, oxidation of proteins and lipids, and protease activities
Chilling injury in maize seedlings is partly due to reactive oxygen species accumulation, while chilling tolerance is partly due to an enhanced anti-oxidant system that prevents oxidation and protease inhibition.
Highly CitedThe Integrative Physiology of Insect Chill Tolerance.
Insects' cold tolerance involves multifactorial adaptations and biochemical adjustments, preserving cellular, organ, and organismal homeostasis at low temperatures.
Highly CitedThe membrane lipid metabolism in horticultural products suffering chilling injury
Membrane lipid metabolism plays a crucial role in chilling injury in horticultural products, and understanding this mechanism may help develop effective strategies to alleviate chilling injury in refrigerated storage.
Exogenous Ascorbic Acid Induced Chilling Tolerance in Tomato Plants Through Modulating Metabolism, Osmolytes, Antioxidants, and Transcriptional Regulation of Catalase and Heat Shock Proteins
Exogenous ascorbic acid treatment at 0.5 mM significantly enhances tomato seedlings' tolerance to acute chilling stress by modulating metabolism, osmolytes, antioxidants, and gene expression.
Rigorous JournalHighly CitedConcurrent effects of cold and hyperkalaemia cause insect chilling injury
Maintaining ion balance is crucial for low temperature survival in insects, as high extracellular [K+] levels cause cell death in locust muscle tissue during cold exposure.
In Vitro Study