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Plant Signaling & Behavior Jul 2012The recent identification of the oxygen-sensing mechanism in plants is a breakthrough in plant physiology. The presence of a conserved N-terminal motif on some ethylene... (Review)
Review
The recent identification of the oxygen-sensing mechanism in plants is a breakthrough in plant physiology. The presence of a conserved N-terminal motif on some ethylene responsive factors (ERFs), targets the protein for post-translational modifications finally leading to degradation under normoxia and thus providing a mechanism for sensing the presence of oxygen. The stabilization of the N-terminus under low oxygen activates these ERFs, which regulate low oxygen core genes that enable plants to tolerate abiotic stress such as flooding. Additional mechanisms that signal low-oxygen probably also exist, and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been observed under low oxygen, suggesting that ROS might be part of the network involved in plant acclimation. Here, we review the most recent findings related to oxygen sensing.
Topics: Adaptation, Physiological; Ethylenes; Models, Biological; Oxygen; Plant Growth Regulators; Plants; Reactive Oxygen Species
PubMed: 22751330
DOI: 10.4161/psb.20322 -
Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta Sep 2015Cell polarity is a fundamental property of pro- and eukaryotic cells. It is necessary for coordination of cell division, cell morphogenesis and signaling processes. How... (Review)
Review
Cell polarity is a fundamental property of pro- and eukaryotic cells. It is necessary for coordination of cell division, cell morphogenesis and signaling processes. How polarity is generated and maintained is a complex issue governed by interconnected feed-back regulations between small GTPase signaling and membrane tension-based signaling that controls membrane trafficking, and cytoskeleton organization and dynamics. Here, we will review the potential role for calcium as a crucial signal that connects and coordinates the respective processes during polarization processes in plants. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: 13th European Symposium on Calcium.
Topics: Calcium; Calcium Signaling; Cell Polarity; Plant Physiological Phenomena; Plants
PubMed: 25725133
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2015.02.017 -
Nature Communications Dec 2021Regional species assemblages have been shaped by colonization, speciation and extinction over millions of years. Humans have altered biogeography by introducing species...
Regional species assemblages have been shaped by colonization, speciation and extinction over millions of years. Humans have altered biogeography by introducing species to new ranges. However, an analysis of how strongly naturalized plant species (i.e. alien plants that have established self-sustaining populations) affect the taxonomic and phylogenetic uniqueness of regional floras globally is still missing. Here, we present such an analysis with data from native and naturalized alien floras in 658 regions around the world. We find strong taxonomic and phylogenetic floristic homogenization overall, and that the natural decline in floristic similarity with increasing geographic distance is weakened by naturalized species. Floristic homogenization increases with climatic similarity, which emphasizes the importance of climate matching in plant naturalization. Moreover, floristic homogenization is greater between regions with current or past administrative relationships, indicating that being part of the same country as well as historical colonial ties facilitate floristic exchange, most likely due to more intensive trade and transport between such regions. Our findings show that naturalization of alien plants threatens taxonomic and phylogenetic uniqueness of regional floras globally. Unless more effective biosecurity measures are implemented, it is likely that with ongoing globalization, even the most distant regions will lose their floristic uniqueness.
Topics: Biodiversity; Climate; Ecosystem; Introduced Species; Phylogeny; Plants
PubMed: 34911960
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27603-y -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Jun 2019Plant qualitative resistances to viruses are natural exhaustible resources that can be impaired by the emergence of resistance-breaking (RB) virus variants. Mathematical...
Plant qualitative resistances to viruses are natural exhaustible resources that can be impaired by the emergence of resistance-breaking (RB) virus variants. Mathematical modelling can help determine optimal strategies for resistance durability by a rational deployment of resistance in agroecosystems. Here, we propose an innovative approach, built up from our previous empirical studies, based on plant cultivars combining qualitative resistance with quantitative resistance narrowing population bottlenecks exerted on viruses during host-to-host transmission and/or within-host infection. Narrow bottlenecks are expected to slow down virus adaptation to plant qualitative resistance. To study the effect of bottleneck size on yield, we developed a stochastic epidemic model with mixtures of susceptible and resistant plants, relying on continuous-time Markov chain processes. Overall, narrow bottlenecks are beneficial when the fitness cost of RB virus variants in susceptible plants is intermediate. In such cases, they could provide up to 95 additional percentage points of yield compared with deploying a qualitative resistance alone. As we have shown in previous works that virus population bottlenecks are at least partly heritable plant traits, our results suggest that breeding and deploying plant varieties exposing virus populations to narrowed bottlenecks will increase yield and delay the emergence of RB variants. This article is part of the theme issue 'Modelling infectious disease outbreaks in humans, animals and plants: approaches and important themes'. This issue is linked with the subsequent theme issue 'Modelling infectious disease outbreaks in humans, animals and plants: epidemic forecasting and control'.
Topics: Disease Resistance; Epidemics; Models, Statistical; Plant Breeding; Plant Diseases; Plants; Virus Physiological Phenomena; Viruses
PubMed: 31056046
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2018.0263 -
Plant Signaling & Behavior Dec 2021Recent lipid-based findings suggest more direct roles for fatty acids and their degradation products in inducing/modulating various aspects of plant defense, e.g. as... (Review)
Review
Recent lipid-based findings suggest more direct roles for fatty acids and their degradation products in inducing/modulating various aspects of plant defense, e.g. as signaling molecules following stress responses that may regulate plant innate immunity. The synthesis of oxylipins is a highly dynamic process and occurs in both a developmentally regulated mode and in response to abiotic and biotic stresses. This mini-review summarizes the occurrence of free - and oxygenated fatty acid derivatives in plants as part of an orchestrated metabolic defense against pathogen attack. Oxygenated C18 derived polyunsaturated fatty acids were identified by untargeted metabolomics studies of a number of different plant-microbe pathosystems and may serve as potential biomarkers of oxidative stress. Untargeted metabolomics in combination with targeted lipidomics, can uncover previously unrecognized aspects of lipid mobilization during plant defense.
Topics: Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; Metabolomics; Oxylipins; Plants; Stress, Physiological
PubMed: 34968410
DOI: 10.1080/15592324.2021.1989215 -
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Sep 2018Action is needed to face the global threat arising from inconsistent rainfall, rise in temperature, and salinization of farm lands which may be the product of climate... (Review)
Review
Action is needed to face the global threat arising from inconsistent rainfall, rise in temperature, and salinization of farm lands which may be the product of climate change. As crops are adversely affected, man and animals may face famine. Plants are severely affected by abiotic stress (drought, salinity, alkalinity, and temperature), which impairs yield and results in loss to farmers and to the nation at large. However, microbes have been shown to be of great help in the fight against abiotic stress, via their biological activities at the rhizosphere of plants. The external application of chemical substances such as glycine betaine, proline, and nutrients has helped in sustaining plant growth and productive ability. In this review, we tried to understand the part played by bioinoculants in aiding plants to resist the negative consequences arising from abiotic stress and to suggest better practices that will be of help in today's farming systems. The fact that absolute protection and sustainability of plant yield under stress challenges has not been achieved by microbes, nutrients, nor the addition of chemicals (osmo-protectants) alone suggests that studies should focus on the integration of these units (microbes, nutrients, chemical stimulants, and osmo-protectants) into a strategy for achieving a complete tolerance to abiotic stress. Also, other species of microbes capable of shielding plant from stress, boosting yield and growth, providing nutrients, and protecting the plants from harmful invading pathogens should be sought.
Topics: Bacteria; Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; Crops, Agricultural; Plant Roots; Rhizosphere; Soil Microbiology; Stress, Physiological
PubMed: 30030564
DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-9214-z -
Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences :... Apr 2008The zinc finger domain enables different proteins to interact with or bind DNA, RNA, or other proteins, and is present in the proteomes of many different organisms.... (Review)
Review
The zinc finger domain enables different proteins to interact with or bind DNA, RNA, or other proteins, and is present in the proteomes of many different organisms. Proteins containing zinc finger domain(s) were found to play important roles in eukaryotic cells regulating different signal transduction pathways and controlling processes, such as development and programmed cell death. There are many types of zinc finger proteins, classified according to the number and order of the Cys and His residues that bind the Zinc ion. Among these, the C2H2-type zinc finger proteins, with 176 members in Arabidopsis thaliana, constitute one of the largest families of transcriptional regulators in plants. They are mostly plant-specific and contain a conserved QALGGH sequence within their zinc finger domain. Recent studies revealed that C2H2 zinc finger proteins could function as key transcriptional repressors involved in the defense and acclimation response of plants to different environmental stress conditions. Here we highlight recent functional characterization studies of different C2H2 proteins in Arabidopsis, and suggest that many of these proteins function as part of a large regulatory network that senses and responds to different environmental stimuli.
Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Molecular Sequence Data; Plant Proteins; Plants; Zinc Fingers
PubMed: 18193167
DOI: 10.1007/s00018-007-7473-4 -
ELife Jun 2023Intercellular signalling is an indispensable part of multicellular life. Understanding the commonalities and differences in how signalling molecules function in two... (Review)
Review
Intercellular signalling is an indispensable part of multicellular life. Understanding the commonalities and differences in how signalling molecules function in two remote branches of the tree of life may shed light on the reasons these molecules were originally recruited for intercellular signalling. Here we review the plant function of three highly studied animal intercellular signalling molecules, namely glutamate, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and melatonin. By considering both their signalling function in plants and their broader physiological function, we suggest that molecules with an original function as key metabolites or active participants in reactive ion species scavenging have a high chance of becoming intercellular signalling molecules. Naturally, the evolution of machinery to transduce a message across the plasma membrane is necessary. This fact is demonstrated by three other well-studied animal intercellular signalling molecules, namely serotonin, dopamine, and acetylcholine, for which there is currently no evidence that they act as intercellular signalling molecules in plants.
Topics: Animals; Melatonin; Glutamic Acid; Plants; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 37338964
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.83361 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... May 2022The early 1900s delivered many foundational discoveries in genetics, including re-discovery of Mendel's research and the chromosomal theory of inheritance. Following... (Review)
Review
The early 1900s delivered many foundational discoveries in genetics, including re-discovery of Mendel's research and the chromosomal theory of inheritance. Following these insights, many focused their research on whether the development of separate sexes had a chromosomal basis or if instead it was caused by environmental factors. It is Dr Nettie M. Stevens' (1905) that provided the unequivocal evidence that the inheritance of the Y chromosome initiated male development in mealworms. This result established that sex is indeed a Mendelian trait with a genetic basis and that the sex chromosomes play a critical role. In Part II of (1906), an XY pair was identified in dozens of additional species, further validating the function of sex chromosomes. Since this formative work, a wealth of studies in animals and plants have examined the genetic basis of sex. The goal of this review is to shine a light again on Stevens' and the lasting impact of this work. We additionally focus on key findings in plant systems over the last century and open questions that are best answered, as in Stevens' work, by synthesizing across many systems. This article is part of the theme issue 'Sex determination and sex chromosome evolution in land plants'.
Topics: Animals; Biology; Male; Phenotype; Plants; Sex Chromosomes
PubMed: 35306894
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0215 -
International Journal of Molecular... Feb 2020Auxin contributes to almost every aspect of plant development and metabolism as well as the transport and signalling of auxin-shaped plant growth and morphogenesis in... (Review)
Review
Auxin contributes to almost every aspect of plant development and metabolism as well as the transport and signalling of auxin-shaped plant growth and morphogenesis in response to endo- and exogenous signals including stress conditions. Consistently with the common belief that auxin is a central trigger of developmental changes in plants, the auxin treatment of explants was reported to be an indispensable inducer of somatic embryogenesis (SE) in a large number of plant species. Treating in vitro-cultured tissue with auxins (primarily 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, which is a synthetic auxin-like plant growth regulator) results in the extensive reprogramming of the somatic cell transcriptome, which involves the modulation of numerous SE-associated transcription factor genes (s). A number of SE-modulated TFs that control auxin metabolism and signalling have been identified, and conversely, the regulators of the auxin-signalling pathway seem to control the SE-involved TFs. In turn, the different expression of the genes encoding the core components of the auxin-signalling pathway, the AUXIN/INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACIDs (Aux/IAAs) and AUXIN RESPONSE FACTORs (ARFs), was demonstrated to accompany SE induction. Thus, the extensive crosstalk between the hormones, in particular, auxin and the TFs, was revealed to play a central role in the SE-regulatory network. Accordingly, LEAFY COTYLEDON (LEC1 and LEC2), BABY BOOM (BBM), AGAMOUS-LIKE15 (AGL15) and WUSCHEL (WUS) were found to constitute the central part of the complex regulatory network that directs the somatic plant cell towards embryogenic development in response to auxin. The revealing picture shows a high degree of complexity of the regulatory relationships between the TFs of the SE-regulatory network, which involve direct and indirect interactions and regulatory feedback loops. This review examines the recent advances in studies on the auxin-controlled genetic network, which is involved in the mechanism of SE induction and focuses on the complex regulatory relationships between the down- and up-stream targets of the SE-regulatory TFs. In particular, the outcomes from investigations on Arabidopsis, which became a model plant in research on genetic control of SE, are presented.
Topics: Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Gene Regulatory Networks; Indoleacetic Acids; Plant Growth Regulators; Plant Proteins; Plants; Transcription Factors
PubMed: 32079138
DOI: 10.3390/ijms21041333