The diversity of the prokaryotes that have been studied, combined with the many different effects of low temperature, has led to an extensive literature concerning cold stress responses in mesophilic bacteria. The aim of this review is to discuss the effects of cold on the behavior of bacteria. The following three responses will be described: (i) biochemical modifications consisting first of membrane fatty acid desaturation and second of the synthesis of cold stress proteins, (ii) physiological responses of the cells to permit growth at low temperatures above 0 degrees C and cryotolerance at lower temperatures, and (iii) control of the cold shock response at a transcriptional and/or translational level. This paper reviews knowledge, most of which has been acquired in the last 10 years, in the field of cold stress responses. It is hoped that these data will help to focus attention on the metabolic responses associated with environmental disturbance.