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International Journal of Molecular... Feb 2022In plants, salicylic acid (SA) is a hormone that mediates a plant's defense against pathogens. SA also takes an active role in a plant's response to various abiotic... (Review)
Review
In plants, salicylic acid (SA) is a hormone that mediates a plant's defense against pathogens. SA also takes an active role in a plant's response to various abiotic stresses, including chilling, drought, salinity, and heavy metals. In addition, in recent years, numerous studies have confirmed the important role of SA in plant morphogenesis. In this review, we summarize data on changes in root morphology following SA treatments under both normal and stress conditions. Finally, we provide evidence for the role of SA in maintaining the balance between stress responses and morphogenesis in plant development, and also for the presence of SA crosstalk with other plant hormones during this process.
Topics: Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Plant Development; Plant Growth Regulators; Plant Roots; Plants; Salicylic Acid
PubMed: 35216343
DOI: 10.3390/ijms23042228 -
Plant Physiology and Biochemistry : PPB Jan 2022Plant non-specific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTPs) are usually defined as small, basic proteins, with a wide distribution in all orders of higher plants. Structurally,... (Review)
Review
Plant non-specific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTPs) are usually defined as small, basic proteins, with a wide distribution in all orders of higher plants. Structurally, nsLTPs contain a conserved motif of eight cysteines, linked by four disulphide bonds, and a hydrophobic cavity in which the ligand is housed. This structure confers stability and enhances the ability to bind and transport a variety of hydrophobic molecules. Their highly conserved structural resemblance but low sequence identity reflects the wide variety of ligands they can carry, as well as the broad biological functions to which they are linked to, such as membrane stabilization, cell wall organization and signal transduction. In addition, they have also been described as essential in resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, plant growth and development, seed development, and germination. Hence, there is growing interest in this family of proteins for their critical roles in plant development and for the many unresolved questions that need to be clarified, regarding their subcellular localization, transfer capacity, expression profile, biological function, and evolution.
Topics: Antigens, Plant; Lipids; Plant Development; Plant Proteins; Plants
PubMed: 34992048
DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2021.12.026 -
Nature Plants Jul 2020The calcium ion (Ca) is a universal signal in all eukaryotic cells. A fundamental question is how Ca, a simple cation, encodes complex information with high specificity.... (Review)
Review
The calcium ion (Ca) is a universal signal in all eukaryotic cells. A fundamental question is how Ca, a simple cation, encodes complex information with high specificity. Extensive research has established a two-step process (encoding and decoding) that governs the specificity of Ca signals. While the encoding mechanism entails a complex array of channels and transporters, the decoding process features a number of Ca sensors and effectors that convert Ca signals into cellular effects. Along this general paradigm, some signalling components may be highly conserved, but others are divergent among different organisms. In plant cells, Ca participates in numerous signalling processes, and here we focus on the latest discoveries on Ca-encoding mechanisms in development and biotic interactions. In particular, we use examples such as polarized cell growth of pollen tube and root hair in which tip-focused Ca oscillations specify the signalling events for rapid cell elongation. In plant-microbe interactions, Ca spiking and oscillations hold the key to signalling specificity: while pathogens elicit cytoplasmic spiking, symbiotic microorganisms trigger nuclear Ca oscillations. Herbivore attacks or mechanical wounding can trigger Ca waves traveling a long distance to transmit and convert the local signal to a systemic defence program in the whole plant. What channels and transporters work together to carve out the spatial and temporal patterns of the Ca fluctuations? This question has remained enigmatic for decades until recent studies uncovered Ca channels that orchestrate specific Ca signatures in each of these processes. Future work will further expand the toolkit for Ca-encoding mechanisms and place Ca signalling steps into larger signalling networks.
Topics: Calcium; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Plant Development; Plant Root Cap; Plants; Pollen Tube; Signal Transduction; Symbiosis
PubMed: 32601423
DOI: 10.1038/s41477-020-0667-6 -
Current Opinion in Plant Biology Dec 2021Plants produce a myriad of metabolites. Some of them have been regarded for a long time as secondary or specialized metabolites and are considered to have functions... (Review)
Review
Plants produce a myriad of metabolites. Some of them have been regarded for a long time as secondary or specialized metabolites and are considered to have functions mostly in defense and the adaptation of plants to their environment. However, in the last years, new research has shown that these metabolites can also have roles in the regulation of plant growth and development, some acting as signals, through the interaction with hormonal pathways, and some independently of them. These reports provide a glimpse of the functional possibilities that specialized metabolites present in the modulation of plant development and encourage more research in this direction.
Topics: Adaptation, Physiological; Friends; Humans; Plant Development; Plants
PubMed: 34856480
DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2021.102142 -
American Journal of Botany Oct 2021Plant development and the timing of developmental events (phenology) are tightly coupled with plant fitness. A variety of internal and external factors determine the... (Review)
Review
Plant development and the timing of developmental events (phenology) are tightly coupled with plant fitness. A variety of internal and external factors determine the timing and fitness consequences of these life-history transitions. Microbes interact with plants throughout their life history and impact host phenology. This review summarizes current mechanistic and theoretical knowledge surrounding microbe-driven changes in plant phenology. Overall, there are examples of microbes impacting every phenological transition. While most studies have focused on flowering time, microbial effects remain important for host survival and fitness across all phenological phases. Microbe-mediated changes in nutrient acquisition and phytohormone signaling can release plants from stressful conditions and alter plant stress responses inducing shifts in developmental events. The frequency and direction of phenological effects appear to be partly determined by the lifestyle and the underlying nature of a plant-microbe interaction (i.e., mutualistic or pathogenic), in addition to the taxonomic group of the microbe (fungi vs. bacteria). Finally, we highlight biases, gaps in knowledge, and future directions. This biotic source of plasticity for plant adaptation will serve an important role in sustaining plant biodiversity and managing agriculture under the pressures of climate change.
Topics: Biodiversity; Climate Change; Plant Development; Plants; Seasons; Symbiosis
PubMed: 34655479
DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1743 -
Annual Review of Plant Biology May 2023The establishment, maintenance, and removal of epigenetic modifications provide an additional layer of regulation, beyond genetically encoded factors, by which plants... (Review)
Review
The establishment, maintenance, and removal of epigenetic modifications provide an additional layer of regulation, beyond genetically encoded factors, by which plants can control developmental processes and adapt to the environment. Epigenetic inheritance, while historically referring to information not encoded in the DNA sequence that is inherited between generations, can also refer to epigenetic modifications that are maintained within an individual but are reset between generations. Both types of epigenetic inheritance occur in plants, and the functions and mechanisms distinguishing the two are of great interest to the field. Here, we discuss examples of epigenetic dynamics and maintenance during selected stages of growth and development and their functional consequences. Epigenetic states are also dynamic in response to stress, with consequences for transposable element regulation. How epigenetic resetting between generations occurs during normal development and in response to stress is an emerging area of research.
Topics: Epigenesis, Genetic; DNA Methylation; Epigenetic Memory; Heredity; Plants; Plant Development
PubMed: 36854474
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-070122-025047 -
Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology Aug 2019Tropisms are directed growth-mediated plant movements which allow plants to respond to their environment. Gravitropism is the ability of plants to perceive and respond... (Review)
Review
Tropisms are directed growth-mediated plant movements which allow plants to respond to their environment. Gravitropism is the ability of plants to perceive and respond to the gravity vector and orient themselves accordingly. The gravitropic pathway can be divided into three main components: perception, biochemical signaling, and differential growth. Perception of the gravity signal occurs through the movement/sedimentation of starch-filled plastids (termed statoliths) in gravity sensing cells. Once perceived, proteins interact with the settling statoliths to set a cascade of plant hormones to the elongation zones in the roots or shoots. Plant growth regulators that play a role in gravitropism include auxin, ethylene, gibberellic acid, jasmonic acid, among others. Differential growth on opposing sides of the root or shoot allow for the plant to grow relative to the direction of the perceived gravity vector. In this review, we detail how plants perceive gravity and respond biochemically in response to gravity as well as synthesize the recent literature on this important topic in plant biology. Keywords: auxin, gravitropism, gravity perception, plant growth regulators, space biology, statolith.
Topics: Gravitropism; Plant Development; Plant Growth Regulators; Plants
PubMed: 30935972
DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2019.03.011 -
Cells Jan 2022Senescence is a major developmental transition in plants that requires a massive reprogramming of gene expression and includes various layers of regulations. Senescence... (Review)
Review
Senescence is a major developmental transition in plants that requires a massive reprogramming of gene expression and includes various layers of regulations. Senescence is either an age-dependent or a stress-induced process, and is under the control of complex regulatory networks that interact with each other. It has been shown that besides genetic reprogramming, which is an important aspect of plant senescence, transcription factors and higher-level mechanisms, such as epigenetic and small RNA-mediated regulators, are also key factors of senescence-related genes. Epigenetic mechanisms are an important layer of this multilevel regulatory system that change the activity of transcription factors (TFs) and play an important role in modulating the expression of senescence-related gene. They include chromatin remodeling, DNA methylation, histone modification, and the RNA-mediated control of transcription factors and genes. This review provides an overview of the known epigenetic regulation of plant senescence, which has mostly been studied in the form of leaf senescence, and it also covers what has been reported about whole-plant senescence.
Topics: Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly; DNA Methylation; Epigenesis, Genetic; Plant Development; Plants; Stress, Physiological
PubMed: 35053367
DOI: 10.3390/cells11020251 -
Nature Reviews. Molecular Cell Biology May 2024Plant cells build nanofibrillar walls that are central to plant growth, morphogenesis and mechanics. Starting from simple sugars, three groups of polysaccharides,... (Review)
Review
Plant cells build nanofibrillar walls that are central to plant growth, morphogenesis and mechanics. Starting from simple sugars, three groups of polysaccharides, namely, cellulose, hemicelluloses and pectins, with very different physical properties are assembled by the cell to make a strong yet extensible wall. This Review describes the physics of wall growth and its regulation by cellular processes such as cellulose production by cellulose synthase, modulation of wall pH by plasma membrane H-ATPase, wall loosening by expansin and signalling by plant hormones such as auxin and brassinosteroid. In addition, this Review discusses the nuanced roles, properties and interactions of cellulose, matrix polysaccharides and cell wall proteins and describes how wall stress and wall loosening cooperatively result in cell wall growth.
Topics: Cell Wall; Cellulose; Plant Cells; Plant Proteins; Plant Development; Plants; Polysaccharides; Glucosyltransferases; Plant Growth Regulators; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 38102449
DOI: 10.1038/s41580-023-00691-y -
Plant Physiology Apr 2021
Topics: Biological Phenomena; Cell Membrane; Plant Development; Plant Growth Regulators; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 33822219
DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiaa107