Large deletions in the CBF gene cluster at the Fr-B2 locus are associated with reduced frost tolerance in wheat

Wheat plants which are exposed to periods of low temperatures (cold acclimation) exhibit increased sur - vival rates when they are subsequently exposed to freezing temperatures. This process is associated with large-scale changes in the transcriptome which are modulated by a set of tandemly duplicated C-repeat Binding Factor (CBF) transcription factors located at the Frost Resistance-2 (Fr-2) locus. While Arabidopsis has three tandemly duplicated