Comparison of transcriptome and metabolome analysis revealed differences in cold resistant metabolic pathways in different apple cultivars under low temperature stress

Freezing injury in winter is an important abiotic stress that seriously affects plant growth and development.Deciduous fruit trees resist freezing injury by inducing dormancy.However,different cultivars of the same species have different cold resistance strategies.Little is known about the molecular mechanism of apple trees in response to freezing injury during winter dormancy.Therefore,in this study,1-year-old branches of the cold-resistant cultivar‘Hanfu’(HF)and the cold-sensitive cultivar‘Changfuji No.2’(CF)were used to explore their cold resistance through physiological,biochemical,transcriptomics,and metabolomics analyses.Combining physiological and biochemical data,we found that HF had a stronger osmotic regulation ability and antioxidant enzyme activity than CF,as well as stronger cold resistance.The functional enrichment analysis showed that both cultivars were significantly enriched in pathways related to signal transduction,hormone regulation,and sugar metabolism under freezing stress.In addition,the differentially expressed genes(DEGs)encoding galactinol synthase,raffinose synthase,and stachyose synthetase in raffinose family oligosaccharides(RFOs)metabolic pathways were upregulated in HF,and raffinose and stachyose were accumulated,while their contents in CF were lower.HF accumulated 4-aminobutyric acid,spermidine,and ascorbic acid to scavenge reactive oxygen species(ROS).While the contents of oxidized glutathione,vitamin C,glutathione,and spermidine in CF decreased under freezing stress,consequently,the ability to scavenge ROS was low.Furthermore,the transcription factors apetala 2/ethylene responsive factor(AP2/ERF)and WRKY were strongly induced under freezing stress.In summary,the difference in key metabolic components of HF and CF under freezing stress is the major factor affecting their difference in cold resistance.The obtained results deepen our understanding of the cold resistance mechanism in apple trees in response to freezing injury during dormancy.

Integrative transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses reveal the flavonoid biosynthesis of Pyrus hopeiensis flowers under cold stress

Low temperature is among the most restrictive factors to limit the yield and distribution of pear. Pyrus hopeiensis is a valuable wild resource.PCA showed that P. hopeiensis had strong cold resistance. In this study, the mRNA and metabolome sequencing of P. hopeiensis flower organs exposed to different low temperatures were performed to identify changes of genes and metabolites in response to low-temperature stress. A total of 4 851 differentially expressed genes(DEGs) were identified. Trend analysis showed that these DEGs were significantly enriched in profiles 19, 18, 7, 14, 1, 4 and 11. And the KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the DEGs in profile 18 were significantly enriched in flavone and flavonol biosynthesis. Besides, the expressed trends as well as GO and KEGG functional enrichment analyses of DEGs under cold and freezing stress showed significantly difference. Analyses of flavonoid-related pathways indicated that flavonoid structural genes had undergone significant changes. Correlation analysis showed that b HLH and MYB TFs may affect flavonoid biosynthesis by regulating structural gene expression. And PhMYB308 and PhMYB330 were likely candidate repressors of flavonoid biosynthesis by binding to a specific site in bHLH proteins. In total, 92 differentially accumulated metabolites(DAMs) were identified in P. hopeiensis flowers including 12 flavonoids. WGCNA results showed that coral 1, pink and brown 4 modules were closely associated with flavonoids and 11 MYBs and 15 bHLHs among the three modules may activate or inhibit the expression of 23 structural genes of flavonoid biosynthesis. Taken together, the results of this study provided a theoretical basis for further exploration of the molecular mechanisms of flavonoid biosynthesis and cold resistance of P. hopeiensis flower organs and our findings laid a foundation for further molecular breeding in cold-resistant pear varieties.

Effects of Chitosan and Salicylic Acid on Cold Resistance of Litchi under Low Temperature

This paper focused on the effect of spraying chitosan and salicylic acid to Litchi under low temperature stress conditions.The physiology and biochemistry of litchi were studied as well.Results showed that the appropriate concentration of chitosan and salicylic acid treatment could effectively reduce injury caused by low temperature to litchi,compared with water control,chlorophyll,proline,soluble protein content of litchi after treatment and the activity of protective enzyme increasing significantly.However,the accumulation of resistance could significantly be improved.Furthermore,when 1 000 mg/L chitosan combined with 50 mg/L salicylic acid,the litchi acquired the best cold resistance capability.

Dynamics of Essential Metal Elements Contents in Winter Oilseed Rape during Cold Acclimation

[Objective]The paper was to investigate the dynamics of essential metal elements（Ca,Mg,Fe,Mn,Zn and Cu）contents in winter oilseed rape（Brassica napus L.）during cold acclimation,and to reveal the effects and mechanisms of essential elements in cold resistance of oilseed rape.[Method]Three varieties with different cold resistance including Zhongshuang No.11（ZS,freezing sensitive variety）,Ganyouza No.1（GY）and Jinyuyou No.1（JYY,freezing tolerant varieties）were used in the study,and the changes of necessary metal elements in these oilseed rapes during cold acclimation were studied.[Result]The concentration of metal elements in oilseed rape had significant changes during cold acclimation,and the difference between varieties was significant.In plant roots,the concentrations of Ca,Mg,Fe,Mn,Zn and Cu were significantly increased,this might because that low temperature made the transpiration decreased,thus blocking the upward transport of elements.In plant shoots,the concentrations of Ca,Mg and Zn were significantly decreased,while the concentrations of Fe and Mn were significantly increased;the change extent of various elements in ZS variety was the largest.[Conclusion]Maintaining the stability of Ca,Mg and Zn concentrations and increasing Fe,Mn and Cu concentrations in plant shoots might be benefit for increasing the cold tolerance of winter oilseed rape.

Identification and Analysis of the WRKY Transcription Factor Gene Family in Verbena bonariensis

The WRKY transcription factor gene family is one of the unique gene families in plants.It plays an important role in response to abiotic stresses such as cold and drought,hormone signal transduction,regulation of biosynthesis,leaf senescence seed germination,etc.However,little information is available about WRKY transcription factors in Verbena bonariensis.In this study,70 VbWRKY genes were identified from the whole genome.The phylogenetic analysis of the WRKY gene family in V.bonariensis and Arabidopsis shows that the WRKY genes in V.bonariensis can be divided into three groups:I,II,and III,which contain 13,47,and 10 members,respectively.Group II can be further divided into five subclasses:IIa(5),IIb(10),IIc(18),IId(6),and IIe(8).Conservative motif analysis showed that 64 proteins encoded by the VbWRKY gene had conserved motifs 1,2 and 3,and the same subclass motif elements were approximately the same.The collinearity analysis showed that there were 44 homologous gene pairs among the VbWRKYs,and these homologous gene pairs may have the same function.Promoter sequence analysis showed that the VbWRKY gene has multiple cis-acting elements,including not only cis-acting elements related to low-temperature and light responses,but also cis-acting elements related to hormone regulation,Among them,most VbWRKY genes contain response elements about low-temperature,and 30 VbWRKY genes contain low-temperature response elements(LTR),and 61 VbWRKY genes contain abscisic acid response elements(ABRE),indicating that VbWRKY plays a crucial role in plant growth and abiotic stress.According to the expression of VbWRKY in the cold stress and different tissues transcriptome,70 VbWRKY genes played their respective roles in various tissues and stages to regulate plant growth,Also,some of them participated in the process of cold stress tolerance,52 VbWRKYs showed significant differences in expression under cold stress,and 37 VbWRKY genes were up-regulated under cold stress.9 VbWRKY genes were selected for quantitative real-time PCR(qRT-PCR)analysis under low-temperature stress,and the results showed that all 9 genes were upregulated under low-temperature stress.Ultimately,the present study provides a comprehensive analysis of the predicted V.bonariensis WRKY genes family,which provided a theoretical basis for the study of low-temperature resistance and growth and development of V.bonariensis.

Physiological mechanisms of resistance to cold stress associated with 10 elite apple rootstocks

A study was conducted in attempting to identify the cold-resistant apple rootstocks and to establish a comprehensive evaluation system. In this study, 10 elite apple dwarfing rootstocks(GM256, JM7, M26, M7, SC1, SH1, SH38, SH6, M9, and T337) were employed for the experiment and the following parameters were investigated under different low temperature stress conditions(0, –15, –20, –25, –30, and –35°C): the changes of the relative electrical conductivity(REC), anthocyanin content, protein content, soluble sugar content, soluble starch content, proline content, malondialdehyde(MDA) content, superoxide dismutase(SOD) activity, and peroxidase(POD) activity of the dormant branches. The inflection temperature that could represent the plant tissue semi-lethal temperature(LT) was obtained by the measurements of REC. The LTwas used to evaluate eight other indices. The results showed that there was no significant correlation between LTand POD activity as well as between the soluble sugar, protein and proline contents at 0 and –15°C. Soluble starch content at 0 and –15°C and anthocyanin content at –15–(–30)°C were significantly but negatively correlated to the LT50 and the MDA content at 0–(–20)°C was significantly positively correlated to the LT. Statistical analysis based on principal component analysis and LT50 showed that cold resistant apple rootstocks in the decreasing order from high to low as GM256, SH6, SH38, SH1, SC1, M26, M7, JM7, T337, and M9.

Evaluation of cold resistance of ornamental species for planting as urban rooftop greening

Rooftop gardening or green roof establishment, one of the methods of afforestation for urban greening, has many benefits for the environment, the economy and urban landscapes. Various environmental stresses including heat, strong wind, sunshine and cold prevent most plants from growing well in extensive green roof systems. For the establishment of urban rooftop gardening in Beijing, we evaluated 13 ornamental plant species [Berberis thunbergii ‘Atropurea Nana’, Euonymus fortune （Turcz.） Hand., Viburnum dilatatum Thunb., Cotinus coggygria Scop., Swida alba Opiz., Weigela florida （Bunge.） A. DC., Jasminum nudiflorum Lindl., Euonymus japonicus Thunb., Euonymus japonicus ‘Cuzhi’, Buddleja davidii Franch., Pyracantha fortuneana （Maxim.） Li., Ligustrum lucidum Ait. and Spiraea salicifolia L.] for greening of flat rooftops. We obtained three indices concerning cold resistance, i.e., electrical conductivity of leaves, amounts of soluble sugars and amounts of free proline, providing a theoretical basis for selection of plants fit for roof and balcony greening. The results show that the six species P. fortuneana （Maxim.） Li., B. thunbergii ‘Atropurea Nana’, J. nudiflorum Lindl., E. fortune （Turcz.） Hand., E. japonicus Thunb. and E. japonicus ‘Cuzhi’ are excellent plants for rooftop gardening, judging from their strong ability in cold resistance. Plants such as L. lucidum Ait., C. coggygria Scop. and W. florida （Bunge） A. DC. showed a medium ability in cold resistance. However, these species can be used in roof and balcony greening after intensive management or acclimatization of variety. The ability to resist cold of plants such as W. florida （Bunge） A. DC., S. salicifolia L., V. rhytidophyllum and S. alba Opiz. （Cornus alba L.） was found to be rather weak. Therefore, cold-proof measures are recommended when using these species.

Comparative Study on the Cold Resistance of Four Cherry Cultivars under Chilling Stress

[Objective] The present study was conducted to evaluate the cold resis-tance of four cherry cultivars under different chil ing stresses. [Method] Four cultivars of Cerasus, Early-mahapphala, Red light, Lapins and Kashgar Kukan were selected as the experimental materials, and the changes of the relative electric conductivity （REC）, proline （PRO） content, malondialdehyde （MDA） content, superoxide dismu-tase （SOD） activity and peroxidase （POD） activity of dormant branches of the four cherry cultivars under low temperature stress were investigated. [Result] The REC of the four cherry cultivars was Kashgar kukan 〉 Red light 〉 Early-mahapphala 〉Lapins, while the MDA content was Kashgar kukan 〉 Early-mahapphala 〉 Red light 〉Lapins, both showed a rising trend in the four cultivars with the aggravating of the low temperature stress. The PRO content, POD and SOD activities of al cultivars were precisely contrary to their REC and MDA content, as al of them exhibited a sequence as Lapins 〉 Red light 〉 Early-mahapphala 〉 Kashgar kukan in al culti-vars, and got a trend of first rising and then declining. [Conclusion] Therefore, our final evaluation of cold resistance of the four cherry cultivars was Lapins 〉 Red light 〉 Early-mahapphala 〉 Kashgar kukan.

Physiological Changes and Cold Tolerance of Three Camphor Species During Natural Winter Temperature Fluctuations

The dynamic changes in the malondialdehyde（MDA）, superoxide dismutase（SOD）, soluble sugar, proline, and soluble protein contents, as well as the relative electrolyte conductivity and the corresponding cold resistance, of Cinnamomum bodinieri Level., C. camphora L., and C. caudiferum Kisterm were investigated during the winter months of October 2009 to April 2010. During the short period of temperature decline that lasted until mid-December, the changes in the relative electrolyte conductivity and MDA content with temperature were insignificant. In January, SOD activity continued to increase and then peaked as a result of rapid increases in soluble sugar, proline, soluble protein, as well as the inhibition of the relative electrolyte conductivity and decrease in MDA content. These physiological changes protected the camphor trees from cold damage during winter. From February to March, SOD activity and the soluble protein and proline contents increased with the increase in temperature. However, the relative electrolyte conductivity and MDA content decreased, indicating that the cell membrane damaged by low temperature was gradually being repaired. The cold dip in April led to slight increases in the relative electrolyte conductivity and MDA content. Using a fuzzy mathematics method, the cold resistance adaptability of the camphor trees was divided into three periods namely, the enhancement setting stage, the vigorous stage, and the reducing stage. The cold tolerance abilities were ranked as the following order： C. bodinieri Level〉C. camphora L.〉C. caudiferum Kisterm.

Cross Breeding of Populus and Its Hybrids for Cold Resistance

Populus tomentosa was crossed with P.tremuloidis, P.grandidentata, P.alba×P.grandidentata and P.alba×Ulmuspumila in order to maintain its rapid growth and high wood quality and improve its resistance to cold. Two methods were used to increase the germination rate from 1.5% to 41.1% and the remaining rate from 1.7% to 44.2%. Forty crossing combinations were conducted and 2744 hybrid seedlings were obtained. MX4×P.grandidentata （G-1-58）, MX3×P.tremuloidis （T-44-60）, MX2×P.tremuloidis （1-13-87-37） and MX2×（P.alba×P.grandidentata） were regarded as superior combinations after analysis and selection. Thirty seedlings of these combinations and 11 triploid seedlings identified by counting their chromosomes were selected as super plants.

Effects of Mutagens on Antioxidant Enzymes Activity and Cold Resistance of Alfalfa

This study aimed to solve the issues in safe wintering of alfalfa in the north of China. The^(60)Co-γ rays, ultraviolet and EMS were used to mutagenize seeds of 4 cultivars of alfalfa to investigate the effects of mutagens on antioxidant enzymes activity and cold resistance of alfalfa. The results showed that after the mutagenic treatment, the activity of the three kinds of antioxidant enzymes basically showed upward trends.^(60)Co-γ radiation increased the activity of SOD; ultraviolet radiation decreased the activity of SOD; and low-concentration EMS promoted and high-concentration EMS inhibited the activity of SOD. The activity of POD and CAT decreased with the increased radiation dose of^(60)Co-γ, but increased with the increased radiation dose of ultraviolet. The effects of EMS treatment on the activity of POD and CAT differed among different alfalfa cultivars. The concentration of MDA reduced under 30-min, 60-min ultraviolet treatment and 0.4% EMS treatment. According to the subordinate function values of various indices, it could be concluded that 150 Gy of^(60)Co-γ radiation, 90 min of ultraviolet radiation, and 0.4% of EMS were more conducive to improving the cold resistance of alfalfa. This study will provide a theoretical basis for the research on adaptability and cold resistance of alfalfa in rigid cold region and a technical reference for the breeding of high-yield, highquality and cold-resistant alfalfa cultivars.

Research Progress of Cold Resistance Mechanism of Cassava

Cassava is vulnerable to frost and snow, so it is suitable for planting in tropical and subtropical region. Low temperature is an important environment factor affecting the growth and development and production of cassava, and the region with annual average temperature below 15 ℃ is not conducive to its normal growth and development. The improvement of cold resistance of cassava can increase the planting area and improve the yield and quality of cassava. In this study, morphological,physiological and biochemical and molecular researches on cold resistance of cassava, as well as the latest research progress,were reviewed in this paper. At the same time, some potential difficulties in the research on cold resistance of cassava were put forward, and the future work focus was also discussed.

High-precision Thickness Setting Models for Titanium Alloy Plate Cold Rolling without Tension

Due to its highly favorable physical and chemical properties,titanium and titanium alloy are widely used in a variety of industries.Because of the low output of a single batch,plate cold rolling without tension is the most common rolling production method for titanium alloy.This method is lack of on-line thickness closed-loop control,with carefully thickness setting models for precision.A set of high-precision thickness setting models are proposed to suit the production method.Because of frequent variations in rolling specification,a model structural for the combination of analytical models and statistical models is adopted to replace the traditional self-learning method.The deformation resistance and friction factor,the primary factors which affect model precision,are considered as the objectives of statistical modeling.Firstly,the coefficient fitting of deformation resistance analytical model based on over-determined equations set is adopted.Additionally,a support vector machine（SVM）is applied to the modeling of the deformation resistance and friction factor.The setting models are applied to a 1450 plate-coiling mill for titanium alloy plate rolling,and then thickness precision is found consistently to be within 3%,exceeding the precision of traditional setting models with a self-learning method based on a large number of stable rolling data.Excellent application performance is obtained.The proposed research provides a set of high-precision thickness setting models which are well adapted to the characteristics of titanium alloy plate cold rolling without tension.

Development of Hybrid Rice Variety FY7206 with Blast Resistance Gene Pid3 and Cold Tolerance Gene Ctb1

Hybrid rice Fanyou 7206（FY7206）, derived from the cross between a sterile line Fanyuan A and a restorer line Fuhui 7206, was bred by the Rice Research Institute, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China. FY7206 was characterized by moderate blast resistance, cold tolerance, as well as wide adaptability, and high yields. The blast resistance results indicated that the frequencies of blast races in race B, race C and the total resistance frequency for FY7206 were 95.5%, 100.0% and 97.2%, respectively. The disease resistance results showed that the leaf blast grade for FY7206 was level 1 and panicle blast was level 5. The indoor spray results indicated that FY7206 was resistant to 11 isolates of Magnorpathe oryzae. The blast resistance of FY7206 might be derived from the high expression of blast resistance gene Pid3. The results for simulated cold resistance in an artificial climate chamber indicated that the cold tolerance for FY7206 was moderate at the booting and flowering stages. The cold tolerance results also indicated that FY7206 could be tolerant to temperatures as low as 10 °C at the seedling stage. The q RT-PCR results showed that the expression of cold tolerance gene Ctb1 in FY7206 was relatively high. These results suggested that FY7206 is a hybrid indica rice variety with good comprehensive characteristics, including blast resistance and cold tolerance.

Low Cycle Fatigue and Strengthening Mechanism of Cold Extruded Large Diameter Internal Thread of Q460 Steel

large diameter internal thread of high-strength steel（LDITHSS） manufactured by traditional methods always has the problems of low accuracy and short life. Compared with traditional methods, the cold extrusion process is an effective means to realize higher accuracy and longer life. The low-cycle fatigue properties of LDITHSS are obtained by experiments, and the initiation and propagation of fatigue cracks are observed by scanning electron microscope（SEM）. Based on the mechanical properties, surface microstructure and residual stress, the strengthening mechanism of cold extruded large diameter internal thread（LDIT） is discussed. The results show that new grains or sub-grains can be formed on the surface of LDIT due to grain segmentation and grain refinement during cold extrusion. The fibrous structures appear as elongated and streamlined along the normal direction of the tooth surface which leads to residual compressive stress on the extruded surface. The maximum tension stress of LDIT after cold extrusion is found to be 192.55 k N. Under low stress cycling, the yield stress on thread increases, the propagation rate of crack reduces, the fatigue life is thus improved significantly with decreasing surface grain diameter and the average fatigue life increases to 45.539×10~3 cycle when the maximum applied load decreases to 120 k N. The low cycle fatigue and strengthening mechanism of cold extruded LDIT revealed by this research has significant importance to promote application of internal thread by cold extrusion processing.

Effects of Exogenous Calcium and Calcium Ion Inhibitor on Cold Resistance of Pistil of Kernel Apricot

With a kernel apricot cultivar Youzhu 07-3 as the test material, the effects of exogenous calcium and calcium inhibitor on the cold resistance of pistils were investigated. In the bud germination and enlargement period, exogenous calcium and calcium ion inhibitor were sprayed to the kernel apdcot trees, respectively. At the full-bloom stage, a certain number of flower branches of kernel apricot were sam- pied and subjected to low-temperature stress indoor, and the soluble sugar content, MDA content, SOD activity and POD activity in the pistils were determined. The results showed that exogenous calcium increased the soluble sugar content, reduced the MDA content and improved the SOD and POD activity in pistils, and it significantly relieved the cold damage to pistils and improved the cold resistance of pistils; while exogenous calcium ion inhibitor showed the opposite effects.

Molecular Cloning of a Cytosolic G6PDH Gene from Populus Suaveolens and Its Expression to Improve the Cold Resistance of Tobacco Plants

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH,EC 1.1.1.49) is the first and main regulated enzyme of oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (OPPP),catalyzing the conversion of glucose-6-phosphate to 6-phospho-gluconolactone and playing important roles in the growth and development of plants. It is preciously reported that the enhancement of freezing resistance of Populus suaveolenscuttings is clear related to the distinct increase in cytosolic G6PDH activity. Here,a 1697 bp cDNA fragment (PsG6PDH) is amplified by RT-PCR from cold-induced total RNA of the freezing-tolerant P. suaveolens. A sequence analysis showed that PsG6PDH coding region had 1 530 bp and encoded 510 predicted amino acid residues. Genomic Southern analysis revealed that the isoform is encoded by a few copies of the gene in the poplar genome. The cloned gene PsG6PDHis cloned into binary vector pBI121 and used to transform tobacco. PCR and Southern blotting results verified integration of this gene into the genome of tobacco. Moreover,cold treatment experiments and membrane defense enzymeactivity analysis confirmed that overexpression of the PsG6PDHgene could enhance the tolerance to cold or frigid stresses in transgenic plants.

A Review of the Methods of Identifying and Testing Plant Cold Resistance

Low-tempemture stress is a major abiotic stress influencing plant growth, economic yield and quality worldwide. Precise and reliable identification and test of plant cold resistance is a foundation for exploring low-temperature damages, cold resistance mechanism of plants, cultivating and innovating quality cold-re- sistant germplasm resources, which is rather important for woody plants because their perennial and large-sized characteristics. Generally, most researches on plant cold-resistant physiology focused on identification and utilization of cold resistance worldwide, and a few on test methods of cold resistance, but cold resistance mechanism has been less reported. Therefore, researches on methods of identifying and testing plant resistance have achieved considerable progress, accumulated much experience and formed characteristics gradually in terms of methodology. Current methods of identifying plant cold resistance include open field/outdoor culti- vation evaluation, cold and frost damage investigation, simulated cold weather, and mathematical model forecast. And the methods of testing plant cold resistance include growth condition test, frozen index investigation, electrolyte leakage, bioelectrical impedance mapping and so on. Synthesizing the methods of identifying and testing plant cold resistance should be a key matter in the present and future researches and application of plant cold resistance physiology, improvement and in- novation of the identification and test will be an important direction of the future researches. Identification and test of plant cold resistance based on genomies, meta- bonomics and proteomics should be the new trend of the researches on physiology and ecology of plant cold resistance.

A Study on Cold Resistance of Osmanthus Fragrans Cultivars in Kaifeng, China

Low winter temperature is generally recognized as the chief factor limiting the northward distribution of Osmanthus fragrans. O. fragrans has been cultivated in Kaifeng for nearly two decades, yet little is known regarding how well this plant has adapted to the city＇s cold winter. In a city-wide survey, we periodically examined O. fragrans leaves for visible symptoms of freeze damage, then measured leaf soluble sugar content, leaf electric conductivity, palisade layer thickness/leaf thickness ratio, and spongy layer thickness/leaf thickness ratio of several cultivars. The data thus collected were assessed to determine the cultivars＇ cold resistance levels. Our results indicate that the northward distribution of O. fragrans may be limited primarily by low spring temperatures rather than low winter temperatures. O. fragrans Sijigui and Huangchuan Jingui are the most cold resistant O. fragrans cultivars in Kaifeng, China.

Membrane Lipids and Their Fatty Acid Composition in Nostoc flagelliforme Cells

Nostoc flagelliforme Born. et Flah is highly adapted to drought stress, cold and light stresses, and suitable for growing in the unfavorable areas. This paper presents the results of the analysis of the membrane (mainly thylakoid membrane) lipids from N. flagelliforme in order to investigate the relationship between membrane lipid composition and stress resistance to this cyanobacteria. The membrane lipids are composed of monogalactosyl diacylglycerol (MGDG), digalactosyl diacylglycerol (DGDG), sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol (SQDG) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG). The major fatty acids in these lipids are palmitic (16∶0), palmitoleic (16∶1), stearic (18∶0), oleic (18∶1), linoleic (18∶2) and linolenic (18∶3) acids. In N. flagelliforme , polyunsaturated fatty acids account for 73% of the total fatty acids, much higher than that of the other cyanobacteria reported so far. Among which 16∶1 and 18∶3 are as high as 28.9% and 34.3% respectively. The high resistance of N. flagelliforme to abnormal conditions may be associated with the extent of unsaturation of fatty acids. In addition, the wild N. flagelliforme treated with water for 30 min and cultured for 24 h and the lipid and fatty acid composition were found to be not affected by water_absorption.