Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 2, 2026

Measurements of Physiological Stress Responses in C. Elegans
Published on: May 21, 2020
Convergent energy and stress signaling
Elena Baena-González1, Jen Sheen
1Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Abstract:
Plants are constantly confronted by multiple types of stress. Despite their distinct origin and mode of perception, nutrient deprivation and most stresses have an impact on the overall energy status of the plant, leading to convergent downstream responses that include largely overlapping transcriptional patterns. The emerging view is that this transcriptome reprogramming in energy and stress signaling is partly regulated by the evolutionarily conserved energy sensor protein kinases, SNF1 (sucrose non-fermenting 1) in yeast, AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) in mammals and SnRK1 (SNF1-related kinase 1) in plants. Upon sensing the energy deficit associated with stress, nutrient deprivation and darkness, SnRK1 triggers extensive transcriptional changes that contribute to restoring homeostasis, promoting cell survival and elaborating longer-term responses for adaptation, growth and development.
Related Concept Videos
Physiological Foundation of Stress
Role of the Sympathetic Nervous System
Adrenaline triggers the...
Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis
Sympathetic Signaling
Sympathetic preganglionic fibers release the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) onto the ganglionic neurons in the...
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
Stress Response System
Alarm stage
In the alarm stage, the body's initial...
Introduction to Stress and Lifestyle
