Ca²⁺ signaling in plant responses to abiotic stresses

Abstract

Adverse variations of abiotic environmental cues that deviate from an optimal range impose stresses to plants. Abiotic stresses severely impede plant physiology and development. Consequently, such stresses dramatically reduce crop yield and negatively impact on ecosystem stability and composition. Physical components of abiotic stresses can be, for example, suboptimal temperature and osmotic perturbations, while representative chemical facets of abiotic stresses can be toxic ions or suboptimal nutrient availability. The sheer complexity of abiotic stresses causes a multitude of diverse components and mechanisms for their sensing and signal transduction. Ca 2+ , as a versatile second messenger, plays multifaceted roles in almost all abiotic stress responses in that, for a certain abiotic stress, Ca 2+ is not only reciprocally connected with its perception, but also multifunctionally ensures subsequent signal transduction. Here, we will focus on salt/osmotic stress and responses to altered nutrient availability as model cases to detail novel insights into the identity of components that link stress perception to Ca 2+ signal formation as well as on new insights into mechanisms of Ca 2+ signal implementation. Finally, we will deduce emerging conceptual consequences of these novel insights and outline arising avenues of future research on the role of Ca 2+ signaling in abiotic stress responses in plants.

CPK28-NLP7 module integrates cold-induced Ca 2+ signal and transcriptional reprogramming in Arabidopsis

“…Ca 2+ plays an important role in plant responses to cold stress and COR gene expression ( 1 ); however, it is unclear how Ca 2+ signal is relayed into cold signaling. CPKs have both Ca 2+ sensing and responding function ( 23 ). To examine the possibility that CPKs might transmit the cold-induced Ca 2+ signal, we conducted quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to analyze the expression of CPK genes in a rapid response to cold stress.…”

“…Ca 2+ is a ubiquitous second messenger that triggers plant responses to cold stress in plants ( 1 ). There are some Ca 2+ sensor or Ca 2+ -related proteins such as CaMs, CBLs, CDPKs/CPKs, CRLKs, and CAMTAs in plants ( 23 ). CRLK1 has been reported to regulate plant freezing tolerance, and its activation is enhanced by CaM ( 13 , 14 ).…”

CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutation in auxin efflux carrier OsPIN9 confers chilling tolerance by modulating reactive oxygen species homeostasis in rice

“…Early signaling events, including cytosolic Ca 2+ influx and burst of ROS, can be activated within a very short time ( Baxter et al, 2014 ). The interconnection of Ca 2+ signaling with ROS production complicates the underlying mechanism under different abiotic stresses in plants, which are intimately correlated with diverse abiotic stresses ( Baxter et al, 2014 ; Dong et al, 2022 ). Previous data showed that Ca 2+ signal formation and H 2 O 2 accumulation are fine-tuned in a reciprocal manner ( Steinhorst and Kudla, 2013 ).…”

New Horizons in Plant Cell Signaling

“…Responding to environmental stimuli with appropriate molecular mechanisms is essential to all life forms and particularly so in sessile organisms such as plants. To this end, plants have evolved both rapid early mechanisms such as the activation of channels and kinases directly or indirectly through protein sensors [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ], as well as the slower systemic adaptive responses that include changes in their transcriptomes and proteomes [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. To enable these processes and concomitantly tune their responses to the environment, complex cellular-signaling mechanisms have evolved, some of which have no homologues in animals [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ].…”