Proteomics: A tool to decipher cold tolerance

The term ‘proteomics’ refers to a high-throughput technology and methodology to analyze protein profile of any organism. The complete set of proteins (proteome) of a cell is quite complex apart from being dynamic. Furthermore, environmental conditions greatly influence the accumulation of many proteins and thus dissecting the dynamics of proteome in response to any external stimuli is crucial for understanding the plant response to different environmental cues. Cold or freezing stress is a severe abiotic stress that not only reduces crop yield but also restricts the geographical distribution of many plant species on earth. The ability of the plants to adapt to various environmental stresses determines their survival and understanding this ‘ability’ is crucial for developing stress tolerant plants for improving agricultural yield. Proteomics provides an important platform to understand the molecular mechanisms lying behind cold tolerance in different plants. Here we have reviewed the current proteomics studies in plant response to cold stress with specific emphasis to cold stress response in plants at organ and organelle levels.