Kinases facilitate detection of extracellular signals and set in motion cellular responses for plant adaptation and survival. Some of the energy utilized for kinase signal processing is produced through the activity of ion transporters. Additionally, the synergy between cellular ions and signal transduction influences plant response to pathogens, and their growth and development. In plants, the signaling elements that connect cell wall and membrane sensors with ion homeostasis and transport-mediated processes are largely unknown. Current research indicates that plant Integrin-Linked Kinases (ILKs), a subfamily Raf-like MAP2K Kinases, may have evolved to fulfill this role. In this review, we explore new findings on plant ILKs placing a particular focus on the connection between ILKs proteins unique structural features and ILKs functions. The ankyrin repeat motifs and the kinase domains of ILKs in Arabidopsis and land plants lineage, respectively, are analyzed and discussed as potential determinants of ILKs’ metal ion cofactor specificity and their enzymatic and interaction activities. Further, ILKs regulation through gene expression, subcellular localization, and ions and ion transporters is reviewed in the context of recent studies. Finally, using evidence from literature and interactomics databanks, we infer ILKs-dependent cellular pathways and highlight their potential in transmitting multiple types of signals originating at the interface between the cell wall and plasma membrane.

Two complementary protein extraction methodologies coupled with an automated proteomic platform were employed to analyze tissue-specific proteomes and characterize biological and metabolic processes in sweetpotato. A total of 74 255 peptides corresponding to 4321 nonredundant proteins were successfully identified. Data were compared to predicted protein accessions for Ipomoea species and mapped on the sweetpotato transcriptome and haplotype-resolved genome. The two methodologies exhibited differences in the number and class of the unique proteins extracted. Overall, 39 916 peptides mapped to 3143 unique proteins in leaves, and 34 339 peptides mapped to 2928 unique proteins in roots. Primary metabolism and protein translation processes were enriched in leaves, whereas genetic pathways associated with protein folding, transport, sorting, as well as pathways in the primary carbohydrate metabolism were enriched in storage roots. A proteogenomics analysis successfully mapped 90.4% of the total uniquely identified peptides against the sweetpotato transcriptome and genome, predicted 741 new protein-coding genes, and specified 2056 loci where gene annotations can be further improved. The proteogenomics results provide evidence for the translation of new open reading frames (ORFs), alternative ORFs, exon extensions, and intronic ORF sequences. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD012999.

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