A research team from South Korea identified how plants quickly activate a “hidden” molecular switch that allows them to survive in cold environments.
The study, published in the Journal of Integrative Plant Biology in November 2025, demonstrates that low temperatures induce a hormonal reconfiguration that triggers the degradation of repressor proteins and releases key regulators to activate master resistance genes.
The challenge of cold in plant development
Sudden cold waves especially threaten plants in their early growth stages. Researchers from the Chonnam National University (CNU) discovered that low-temperature stress causes the rapid degradation of Aux/IAA proteins, which normally block the activation of growth-related genes.
When these repressors break down, regulators ARF7 and ARF19 are released, activating the master gene CRF3, responsible for remodeling root architecture to withstand adverse conditions.
“Cold stress not only slows growth but actively rewires hormonal signaling to adapt root development,” explained Professor Jungmook Kim, leader of the study.
Integration of hormonal signals
The work also revealed that cold activates cytokinin signaling, inducing the CRF2 gene, which acts in conjunction with CRF3. Both genes function as integrators, combining environmental signals with internal development programs.
In this way, the auxin and cytokinin pathways converge in the CRFs, forming a unified cold response module that adjusts lateral root initiation under stress.
“Plants survive because they integrate external stress with internal development programs. We have identified one of the key switches that enable this integration,” added Kim.
Implications for agriculture
The findings offer opportunities to protect crops against increasing climatic instability:
- Improve CRF2/CRF3 signaling or stabilize ARF activity through targeted degradation of Aux/IAA.
- Develop varieties capable of maintaining stable root growth in cold soils.
- Increase nutrient absorption efficiency and reduce fertilizer use.
- Create synthetic molecules or biostimulants that protect seedlings during extreme cold waves.
Future perspectives
Over the next decade, this molecular pathway could facilitate cultivation in harsh climates and serve as a basis for precision genetic improvement and CRISPR-based engineering of climate-resilient crops.
The discovery positions Korean science at the forefront of agricultural biotechnology, offering concrete tools to face the challenges of food security in a world marked by climate change.
