ROS-mediated receptor kinase signalling in plants

Abstract

Throughout their lifespan, plants must precisely sense and rapidly respond to environmental stresses to ensure proper growth and development. To sense and respond appropriately to this broad range of overlapping external stimuli, plants developed multiple strategies where the signalling molecules are perceived by sensing receptor kinases (RKs) to initiate orchestrated downstream signalling. One of the universal plant responses to different environmental challenges is the generation of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), and a family of Cysteine-Rich Receptor-Like Kinase (CRKs) is a long-speculated candidate for ROS sensors in the apoplast. The perception mechanism could rely on the direct oxidative modifications of the cysteine residues richly present in the extracellular domain (ECD) of this family of CRK receptors.

Consequent structural rearrangements of CRK ECDs rewire their inter- and intra-family interaction networks, resulting in consolidated cellular and physiological outputs. I will discuss our current views on the modes of activation and action of CRKs from the structural, biochemical, and physiological perspectives.

References

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