With an Ear Up against the Wall: An Update on Mechanoperception in Arabidopsis

Abstract

Cells interpret mechanical signals and adjust their physiology or development appropriately. In plants, the interface with the outside world is the cell wall, a structure that forms a continuum with the plasma membrane and the cytoskeleton. Mechanical stress from cell wall damage or deformation is interpreted to elicit compensatory responses, hormone signalling, or immune responses. Our understanding of how this is achieved is still evolving; however, we can refer to examples from animals and yeast where more of the details have been worked out. Here, we provide an update on this changing story with a focus on candidate mechanosensitive channels and plasma membrane-localized receptors.

Signal transduction in non-climacteric fruit ripening

“…during anthesis) raises the question of whether cell separation may represent a very early signal controlling fruit ripening. It has been well established that the cell wall status is intimately associated with cell signal transduction, due to the many wall-associated receptors, protein kinases, and peptide signals in the wall and the wall-plasma membrane interface [ 21 – 24 ]. Moreover, some wall metabolites may be able to act directly as signals involved in the regulation of plant growth and development or stress responses [ 23 , 25 – 27 ].…”