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Cell Reports Jul 2023Protein phosphorylation modification is crucial for signaling transduction in plant development and environmental adaptation. By precisely phosphorylating crucial... (Review)
Review
Protein phosphorylation modification is crucial for signaling transduction in plant development and environmental adaptation. By precisely phosphorylating crucial components in signaling cascades, plants can switch on and off the specific signaling pathways needed for growth or defense. Here, we have summarized recent findings of key phosphorylation events in typical hormone signaling and stress responses. More interestingly, distinct phosphorylation patterns on proteins result in diverse biological functions of these proteins. Thus, we have also highlighted latest findings that show how the different phosphosites of a protein, also named phosphocodes, determine the specificity of downstream signaling in both plant development and stress responses.
Topics: Phosphorylation; Signal Transduction; Plants; Plant Development; Plant Proteins
PubMed: 37405922
DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112729 -
Journal of Genetics and Genomics = Yi... Jan 2024Soil salinization is an essential environmental stressor, threatening agricultural yield and ecological security worldwide. Saline soils accumulate excessive soluble... (Review)
Review
Soil salinization is an essential environmental stressor, threatening agricultural yield and ecological security worldwide. Saline soils accumulate excessive soluble salts which are detrimental to most plants by limiting plant growth and productivity. It is of great necessity for plants to efficiently deal with the adverse effects caused by salt stress for survival and successful reproduction. Multiple determinants of salt tolerance have been identified in plants, and the cellular and physiological mechanisms of plant salt response and adaption have been intensely characterized. Plants respond to salt stress signals and rapidly initiate signaling pathways to re-establish cellular homeostasis with adjusted growth and cellular metabolism. This review summarizes the advances in salt stress perception, signaling, and response in plants. A better understanding of plant salt resistance will contribute to improving crop performance under saline conditions using multiple engineering approaches. The rhizosphere microbiome-mediated plant salt tolerance as well as chemical priming for enhanced plant salt resistance are also discussed in this review.
Topics: Plants; Salt Stress; Plant Development; Agriculture; Salt Tolerance; Soil
PubMed: 37647984
DOI: 10.1016/j.jgg.2023.08.007 -
Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Oct 2023Soil salinization negatively impacts plant development and induces land degradation, thus affecting biodiversity, water quality, crop production, farmers' well-being,...
Soil salinization negatively impacts plant development and induces land degradation, thus affecting biodiversity, water quality, crop production, farmers' well-being, and the economic situation in the affected region. Plant germination, growth, and productivity are vital processes impaired by salinity stress; thus, it is considered a serious threat to agriculture. The extent to which a plant is affected by salinity depends mainly on the species, but other factors, including soil attributes, water, and climatic conditions, also affect a plant's ability to tolerate salinity stress. Unfortunately, this phenomenon is expected to be exacerbated further by climate change. Consequently, studies on salt stress tolerance in plants represent an important theme for the present Special Issue of . The present Special Issue contains 14 original contributions that have documented novel discoveries regarding induced or natural variations in plant genotypes to cope with salt stress, including molecular biology, biochemistry, physiology, genetics, cell biology, modern omics, and bioinformatic approaches. This Special Issue also includes the impact of biostimulants on the biochemical, physiological, and molecular mechanisms of plants to deal with salt stress and on the effects of salinity on plant nutrient status. We expect that readers and academia will benefit from all the articles included in this Special Issue.
PubMed: 37895984
DOI: 10.3390/plants12203520 -
Plant Biotechnology Journal Dec 2023Plant-specific NAC proteins constitute a major transcription factor family that is well-known for its roles in plant growth, development, and responses to abiotic and... (Review)
Review
Plant-specific NAC proteins constitute a major transcription factor family that is well-known for its roles in plant growth, development, and responses to abiotic and biotic stresses. In recent years, there has been significant progress in understanding the functions of NAC proteins. NAC proteins have a highly conserved DNA-binding domain; however, their functions are diverse. Previous understanding of the structure of NAC transcription factors can be used as the basis for their functional diversity. NAC transcription factors consist of a target-binding domain at the N-terminus and a highly versatile C-terminal domain that interacts with other proteins. A growing body of research on NAC transcription factors helps us comprehend the intricate signalling network and transcriptional reprogramming facilitated by NAC-mediated complexes. However, most studies of NAC proteins have been limited to a single function. Here, we discuss the upstream regulators, regulatory components and targets of NAC in the context of their prospective roles in plant improvement strategies via biotechnology intervention, highlighting the importance of the NAC transcription factor family in plants and the need for further research.
Topics: Plants; Plant Proteins; Transcription Factors; Plant Development; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Stress, Physiological; Phylogeny
PubMed: 37623750
DOI: 10.1111/pbi.14161 -
Molecular Plant Nov 2023Seeds establish dormancy to delay germination until the arrival of a favorable growing season. In this study, we identify a fate switch comprised of the MKK3-MPK7 kinase...
Seeds establish dormancy to delay germination until the arrival of a favorable growing season. In this study, we identify a fate switch comprised of the MKK3-MPK7 kinase cascade and the ethylene response factor ERF4 that is responsible for the seed state transition from dormancy to germination. We show that dormancy-breaking factors activate the MKK3-MPK7 module, which affects the expression of some α-EXPANSIN (EXPA) genes to control seed dormancy. Furthermore, we identify a direct downstream substrate of this module, ERF4, which suppresses the expression of these EXPAs by directly binding to the GCC boxes in their exon regions. The activated MKK3-MPK7 module phosphorylates ERF4, leading to its rapid degradation and thereby releasing its inhibitory effect on the expression of these EXPAs. Collectively, our work identifies a signaling chain consisting of protein phosphorylation, degradation, and gene transcription , by which the germination promoters within the embryo sense and are activated by germination signals from ambient conditions.
Topics: Arabidopsis; Plant Dormancy; Arabidopsis Proteins; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Germination; Seeds; Repressor Proteins
PubMed: 37710960
DOI: 10.1016/j.molp.2023.09.006 -
International Journal of Molecular... Oct 2023The development of both animals and plants relies on populations of pluripotent stem cells that provide the cellular raw materials for organ and tissue formation. Plant... (Review)
Review
The development of both animals and plants relies on populations of pluripotent stem cells that provide the cellular raw materials for organ and tissue formation. Plant stem cell reservoirs are housed at the shoot and root tips in structures called meristems, with the shoot apical meristem (SAM) continuously producing aerial leaf, stem, and flower organs throughout the life cycle. Thus, the SAM acts as the engine of plant development and has unique structural and molecular features that allow it to balance self-renewal with differentiation and act as a constant source of new cells for organogenesis while simultaneously maintaining a stem cell reservoir for future organ formation. Studies have identified key roles for intercellular regulatory networks that establish and maintain meristem activity, including the KNOX transcription factor pathway and the CLV-WUS stem cell feedback loop. In addition, the plant hormones cytokinin and auxin act through their downstream signaling pathways in the SAM to integrate stem cell activity and organ initiation. This review discusses how the various regulatory pathways collectively orchestrate SAM function and touches on how their manipulation can alter stem cell activity to improve crop yield.
Topics: Arabidopsis Proteins; Plant Shoots; Arabidopsis; Meristem; Pluripotent Stem Cells; Plant Development; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Homeodomain Proteins
PubMed: 37834339
DOI: 10.3390/ijms241914889 -
Biology Open Oct 2023Cell-cell communication is a central feature of multicellular organisms, enabling division of labour and coordinated responses. Plasmodesmata are membrane-lined pores... (Review)
Review
Cell-cell communication is a central feature of multicellular organisms, enabling division of labour and coordinated responses. Plasmodesmata are membrane-lined pores that provide regulated cytoplasmic continuity between plant cells, facilitating signalling and transport across neighboring cells. Plant development and survival profoundly depend on the existence and functioning of these structures, bringing them to the spotlight for both fundamental and applied research. Despite the rich conceptual and translational rewards in sight, however, the study of plasmodesmata poses significant challenges. This Review will mostly focus on research published between May 2022 and May 2023 and intends to provide a short overview of recent discoveries, innovations, community resources and hypotheses.
Topics: Plasmodesmata; Cell Communication; Signal Transduction; Plant Development; Biology
PubMed: 37874138
DOI: 10.1242/bio.060123 -
Frontiers in Plant Science 2023Plant development and pattern formation depend on diffusible signals and location cues. These developmental signals and cues activate intracellular downstream components... (Review)
Review
Plant development and pattern formation depend on diffusible signals and location cues. These developmental signals and cues activate intracellular downstream components through cell surface receptors that direct cells to adopt specific fates for optimal function and establish biological fitness. There may be a single-pole dual-control competing mode in controlling plant development and microbial infection. In plant development, paracrine signaling molecules compete with autocrine signaling molecules to bind receptors or receptor complexes, turn on antagonistic molecular mechanisms, and precisely regulate developmental processes. In the process of microbial infection, two different signaling molecules, competing receptors or receptor complexes, form their respective signaling complexes, trigger opposite signaling pathways, establish symbiosis or immunity, and achieve biological adaptation. We reviewed several "single-pole dual-control" competing modes, focusing on analyzing the competitive commonality and characterization of "single-pole dual-control" molecular mechanisms. We suggest it might be an economical protective mechanism for plants' sequentially and iteratively programmed developmental events. This mechanism may also be a paradigm for reducing internal friction in the struggle and coexistence with microbes. It provides extraordinary insights into molecular recognition, cell-to-cell communication, and protein-protein interactions. A detailed understanding of the "single-pole dual-control" competing mode will contribute to the discovery of more receptors or antagonistic peptides, and lay the foundation for food, biofuel production, and crop improvement.
PubMed: 37457334
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1149522 -
Frontiers in Plant Science 2023
PubMed: 38089799
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1340170 -
Annual Review of Microbiology Sep 2023Biological soil crusts are thin, inconspicuous communities along the soil atmosphere ecotone that, until recently, were unrecognized by ecologists and even more so by... (Review)
Review
Biological soil crusts are thin, inconspicuous communities along the soil atmosphere ecotone that, until recently, were unrecognized by ecologists and even more so by microbiologists. In its broadest meaning, the term biological soil crust (or biocrust) encompasses a variety of communities that develop on soil surfaces and are powered by photosynthetic primary producers other than higher plants: cyanobacteria, microalgae, and cryptogams like lichens and mosses. Arid land biocrusts are the most studied, but biocrusts also exist in other settings where plant development is constrained. The minimal requirement is that light impinge directly on the soil; this is impeded by the accumulation of plant litter where plants abound. Since scientists started paying attention, much has been learned about their microbial communities, their composition, ecological extent, and biogeochemical roles, about how they alter the physical behavior of soils, and even how they inform an understanding of early life on land. This has opened new avenues for ecological restoration and agriculture.
Topics: Soil; Ecosystem; Soil Microbiology; Cyanobacteria; Lichens
PubMed: 37068777
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-032521-015202