Changes in the Electrophoretic Patterns of the Soluble Proteins of Winter Wheat and Rye following Cold Acclimation and Desiccation Stress

Abstract

The degrees of freezing tolerance acquired by winter wheat (Triticum aestivium L.) and rye (Secale cereale L. cv Puma) were similar following a 4-week cold conditioning and a 24-hour desiccation stress. Soluble proteins were extracted from shoots of cold-conditioned or desiccation-stressed seedlings and electrophoresed on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. Quantitative changes in the electrophoretic patterns of the soluble proteins of the different cultivars grown in different environments were detected, but the changes were not equivalent following cold conditioning and desiccation stress. The abundance of two polypeptide bands showed a significant increase correlated to the degree of freezing tolerance and, hence, the polypeptides in these bands may play a role in the development of freezing tolerance.