ABSTRACT

Cotton cell lines were selected in vitro for increased resistance to chilling temperature (5EC). Shoot tips of plants regenerated from these cell lines were able to root normally at 22EC whereas those of the control cell lines did not. After prolonged passage in the absence of the selection pressure, the selected cell lines retained the acquired resistance. Glucose uptake, cell viability, and growth were greater in the selected cell lines when grown under either continuous 15EC or under a cycling regime of 30EC:15EC. PAGE and 2-D gel analysis revealed several major differences in gene expression between the selected vs. the control cell lines when grown under cycling low temperature.