Advances in plant response to low-temperature stress

Low temperatures limit the geographic distribution of plants and affect their growth and development, resulting in reduced crop yields, a sharp decline in quality, and in severe cases, plant death. They are also essential stressors that constrain crop production and food security. Plants have evolved various mechanisms to adapt to low temperatures with multilevel and diverse responses. Plant responses to cold stress have been widely researched regarding physiological and molecular mechanisms. Several significant findings have emerged, including the discovery of CBF/DREB1, a family of transcription factors that play a crucial role in the plant's response to cold stress. This paper aims to synthesize the mechanisms of plant response to low temperature by integrating research findings from previous studies across four main areas: phenotype, physiology, hormone responses, and signaling pathways. The focus is on the low-temperature response pathway of plant CBFS. This study will enable us to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying plant tolerance to low-temperature stress, which is of crucial importance for molecular breeding of crops with low-temperature tolerance.