MAPK cascades and major abiotic stresses.
Plants have evolved with complex signaling circuits that operate under multiple conditions and govern numerous cellular functions. Stress signaling in plant cells is a sophisticated network composed of interacting proteins organized into tiered cascades where the function of a molecule is dependent on the interaction and the activation of another. In a linear scheme, the receptors of cell surface sense the stimuli and convey stress signals through specific pathways and downstream phosphorylation events controlled by mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases and second messengers, leading to appropriate adaptive responses. The specificity of the pathway is guided by scaffolding proteins and docking domains inside the interacting partners with distinctive structures and functions. The flexibility and the fine-tuned organization of the signaling molecules drive the activated MAP kinases into the appropriate location and connection to control and integrate the information flow. Here, we overview recent findings of the involvement of MAP kinases in major abiotic stresses (drought, cold and temperature fluctuations) and we shed light on the complexity and the specificity of MAP kinase signaling modules.
Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Créteil, France, khaled.moustafa@inserm.fr.
Khaled
K
Moustafa
Synan
S
AbuQamar
Mohammad
M
Jarrar
Abdul Jabbar
AJ
Al-Rajab
Jocelyne
J
Trémouillaux-Guiller
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D055864:Droughts; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009997:Osmotic Pressure; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010944:Plants / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013696:Temperature
D010940:Plant Proteins; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases