Psychrotrophic bacteria are capable of developing over a wide temperature range and they can grow at temperatures close to or below freezing. This ability requires specific adaptative strategies in order to maintain membrane fluidity, the continuance of their metabolic activities, and protein synthesis at low temperature. A cold-shock response has been described in several psychrotrophic bacter...

Bacterial translation initiation factor IF1 is an S1 domain protein that belongs to the oligomer binding (OB) fold proteins. Cold shock domain (CSD)-containing proteins such as CspA (the major cold shock protein of Escherichia coli) and its homologues also belong to the OB fold protein family. The striking structural similarity between IF1 and CspA homologues suggests a functional overlap betwe...

Generation of clonal zebrafish will facilitate large-scale genetic screening and help us to overcome other biological and biotechnological challenges due to their isogenecity. However, protocols for the development of clonal lines have not been optimized. Here, we sought to develop a novel method for generation of clonal zebrafish by androgenesis induced by cold shock. Androgenetic zebrafish do...

Bacteria respond to a decrease in temperature with the induction of proteins that are classified as cold-induced proteins (CIPs). Using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, we analyzed the cold shock response in Bacillus subtilis. After a shift from 37 to 15 degrees C the synthesis of a majority of proteins was repressed; in contrast, 37 proteins were synthesized at rates higher than preshift r...

The survival rate of domestic male and female adult Panstrongylus megistus was studied after sequential heat and cold shocks in order to investigate shock tolerance compared to that previously reported for nymphs. Sequential shocks were such that a milder shock (0 degree C, 5 degrees C, 35 degrees C, or 40 degrees C for 1 h) preceded a severe one (0 degree C or 40 degrees C for 12 h), separated...

BACKGROUND Heat and cold shock response are normally considered as independent phenomena. A small amount of evidence suggests instead that interactions may exist between them in two Lactococcus strains. RESULTS We show the occurrence of molecular relationships between the mechanisms of cold and heat adaptations in Streptococcus thermophilus, a lactic acid bacterium widely used in dairy fermen...

Individuals of widely spread species are expected to show local adaption in temperature tolerance as they encounter a range of thermal conditions. We tracked thermal adaptations of the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) that invaded Europe within the last 100 years. It has occupied various conditions although, like the majority of invasive species, it lost a measurable amount of...

In order to understand cold adaptability and explore additional genetic resources for the cold tolerance improvement of rice, we investigated the genetic variation of 529 rice accessions under natural chilling and cold shock stress conditions at the seedling stage using genome-wide association studies; a total of 132 loci were identified. Among them, 12 loci were common for both chilling and co...

Drowning physiology relates to two different events: immersion (upper airway above water) and submersion (upper airway under water). Immersion involves integrated cardiorespiratory responses to skin and deep body temperature, including cold shock, physical incapacitation, and hypovolemia, as precursors of collapse and submersion. The physiology of submersion includes fear of drowning, diving re...

Although sigma factor-dependent transcriptional regulation was shown to be essential for adaptation to different environmental stimuli, no such sigma factor has been related to the regulation of the cold shock response in Bacillus subtilis. In this study, we present genetic evidence for participation of sigma(L) (sigma(54)) and the two sigma(L)-dependent transcriptional enhancers BkdR and YplP ...