BACKGROUND Photosystem II (PSII) is the most thermally sensitive component of photosynthesis. Thermal acclimation of this complex activity is likely to be critically important to the ability of photosynthetic organisms to tolerate temperature changes in the environment. METHODOLOGY/FINDINGS We have analysed gene expression using whole-genome microarrays and monitored alterations in physiology...

Phytoremediation counts as a major method for future which essentially needs resistance to contaminating agents. We pretreated the plants (Salix babylonica, as a model plant in phytoremediation of polluted waters) by sodium cyanide (0, 3 and 5 mg CN- L-1) to induce resistance with regard to acclimation and then examined their resistance to higher concentrations of cyanide. Accordingly, some of ...

frost tolerance of winter wheat depends primarily on a strong vernalization requirement, delaying the transition to reproductive phase. the responses of four bread wheat cultivars (triticum aestivum l.) to low-temperatures were examined in controlled environment and field conditions. prolonged cold treatment accelerated the transition to reproductive development in winter wheats (cv. norstar an...

Reproductive success in thermally varying environments will depend on maintaining metabolic capacity of tissues that are important in mating behaviours. Here we test the hypothesis that cold acclimation will occur in those tissues that are important for reproduction, and that acclimation will be sex specific, reflecting behavioural differences between the sexes. We used the frog Limnodynastes p...

This study examined the molecular basis of energy-related regulatory mechanisms underlying metabolic recruitment of skeletal muscle during cold acclimation and possible involvement of the l-arginine/nitric oxide-producing pathway. Rats exposed to cold (4±1°C) for periods of 1, 3, 7, 12, 21 and 45 days were divided into three groups: untreated, l-arginine treated and N(ω)-nitro-l-arginine methyl...

We investigated whether the eccrine sweat glands must actively produce sweat during heat acclimation if they are to adapt and increase their capacity to sweat. Eight volunteers received intradermal injections of BOTOX, to prevent neural stimulation and sweat production of the sweat glands during heat acclimation, and saline injections as a control in the contralateral forearm. Subjects performe...

The degree to which temperature acclimation modifies the acute synthesis of the entire heat-shock protein (Hsp) complement is still unknown, but it may constitute an important mechanism for understanding the differences in acclimation ability among closely related ectothermic species that occupy widely varying thermal environments. In general, eurythermal (heat-tolerant) species modify physiolo...

An insufficient supply of oxygen under thermal stress is thought to define thermal optima and tolerance limits in teleost fish. When under thermal stress, cardiac function plays a crucial role in sustaining adequate oxygen supply for respiring tissues. Thus, adaptive phenotypic plasticity of cardiac performance may be critical for modifying thermal limits during temperature acclimation. Here we...

Processes acting at the level of the mitochondria have been suggested to affect the thermal limits of organisms. To determine whether changes in mitochondrial properties could underlie shifts in thermal limits, we examined how mitochondrial properties are affected by thermal acclimation in the eurythermal killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus - a species with substantial plasticity in whole-organism...

The purposes of this study were to characterize measures of fluid intake and perception of thirst in women over a 6-week period of exercise-heat acclimation and outdoor training and examine if this lengthy acclimation period would result in changes in fluid intake that differ from those previously reported in men utilizing a shorter acclimation protocol of 8-10 days. Voluntary water intake (11-...