Abstract: 【Objective】 Our previous studies of Lepidium apetalum Willd. showed that it could tolerate a certain degree of low temperature stress during germination and seedling growth. To further explore the mechanisms of cold tolerance in Lepidium apetalum, we cloned two key genes of cold resistance signal pathway named LaCBF3 and LaCOR15a and analyzed their expression patterns responded to abiotic stress.【Method】LaCBF3 and LaCOR15a genes were cloned by PCR method from cDNA of cold induced leaves of Lepidium plants using degenerate primers.【Result】The conservative regions of cloned 442 bp LaCBF3 and 405 bp LaCOR15a gene fragments had 84.38% and 81.8% similarity to Arabidopsis thaliana CBF3 gene and COR15a gene respectively. Semi quantitative RT-PCR showed that the LaCOR15a gene responded to low temperature stress as well as drought, salt and ABA treatment, while LaCBF3 only responded to low temperature stress rapidly in Lepidium seedlings. 【Conclusion】LaCBF3 and LaCOR15a play important regulatory roles in responding to low temperature in Lepidium apetalum during germination and seedling growth. Besides, LaCOR15a gene also responds to other abiotic stress such as drought, salt as well as ABA treatment.