title: Freeze/thaw-induced destabilization of the plasma membrane and the effects of cold acclimation.
abstract: Disruption of the plasma membrane is a primary cause of freezing injury. In this review, the mechanisms of injury resulting from freeze-induced cell dehydration are presented, including destabilization of the plasma membrane resulting from (a) freeze/thaw-induced osmotic excursions and (b) lyotropic phase transitions in the plasma membrane lipids. Cold acclimation dramatically alters the behavior of the plasma membrane during a freeze/thaw cycle--increasing the tolerance to osmotic excursions and decreasing the propensity for dehydration-induced lamellar to hexagonal-II phase transitions. Evidence for a casual relationship between the increased cryostability of the plasma membrane and alterations in the lipid composition is reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853.
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Steponkus
authors.forename: D V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Lynch
mesh_terms: D002462:Cell Membrane; D005615:Freezing; D008563:Membrane Lipids; D010944:Plants; D011523:Protoplasts; D014021:Tissue Preservation
chemical_list: D008563:Membrane Lipids