Decoding early stress signaling waves in living plants using nanosensor multiplexing

Abstract

Increased exposure to environmental stresses due to climate change have adversely affected plant growth and productivity. Upon stress, plants activate a signaling cascade, involving multiple molecules like H2O2, and plant hormones such as salicylic acid (SA) leading to resistance or stress adaptation. However, the temporal ordering and composition of the resulting cascade remains largely unknown. In this study we developed a nanosensor for SA and multiplexed it with H2O2 nanosensor for simultaneous monitoring of stress-induced H2O2 and SA signals when Brassica rapa subsp. Chinensis (Pak choi) plants were subjected to distinct stress treatments, namely light, heat, pathogen stress and mechanical wounding. Nanosensors reported distinct dynamics and temporal wave characteristics of H2O2 and SA generation for each stress. Based on these temporal insights, we have formulated a biochemical kinetic model that suggests the early H2O2 waveform encodes information specific to each stress type. These results demonstrate that sensor multiplexing can reveal stress signaling mechanisms in plants, aiding in developing climate-resilient crops and pre-symptomatic stress diagnoses.

Revisiting the Role of Sensors for Shaping Plant Research: Applications and Future Perspectives

“…They have important roles in regulating a wide range of subcellular, cellular, and systemic signals. Additionally, ROS are vital in plant defense and acclimation responses to various biotic and abiotic environments, as well as being a critical component of several hormonal, physiological, and developmental pathways [ 16 , 17 , 18 ]. The real time monitoring of ROS in plants reveals the molecular complexity of plant signal transduction pathways related to different traits.…”