Regulation of cold acclimation processes in rice shoots and roots

Given that rice is considered to be cold-sensitive among cereals, one of the most important hindering factors, in addition to drought, is low temperature. In order to be able to produce cold-tolerant varieties, it is first necessary to learn about the adaptation processes of plants. One of the most important results in recent years was the description of the COLD1 gene, which can be responsible for the significant difference in cold tolerance between the two types of rice, japonica and indica. However, downstream elements and their regulation are still poorly understood. We also know that the adaptation of plants to the cold (acclimation) is influenced not only by temperature, but also by light. At low light intensity, the efficiency of cold hardening is usually lower. Although light sensing is primarily occurs in the leaves, the signal also reaches the roots, which can significantly influence the acclimation processes taking place there. It has recently been shown what hormonal changes are induced in the individual main organs of rice as a result of cold stress, and what interactions occur between them. Based on these results, in the presented work we show an RNAseq study performed in roots, comparing the stress responses directly induced in the roots and those, which were triggered by signals from the shoot during the low temperature acclimation period. In addition, we demonstrate some low temperature stress responses that show light dependence not only in the leaves but also in the root.