Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Measuring Gene Expression in Bombarded Barley Aleurone Layers with Increased Throughput
Published on: March 30, 2018
Does GABA Act as a Signal in Plants?: Hints from Molecular Studies
1Department of Biological Sciences; Lancaster Environment Centre; Lancaster University; Lancaster UK.
Abstract:
GABA is a non-protein amino acid that accumulates rapidly in plant tissues in response to biotic and abiotic stress. There have been a number of suggestions as to the role that GABA might play in plants, ranging from a straightforward involvement in N metabolism to a signal mediating plant-animal and plant-microbe interactions. It has also been several proposed that it might function as an intracellular signalling molecule in plants. Here, we discuss recent evidence that plant cells respond at the molecular level to the presence of applied GABA. We argue that these data might serve as the basis for investigating the possible signalling role for GABA in plant development and stress responses in more detail.
Related Concept Videos
Cell Signaling in Plants
Short-distance Transport of Resources
Activation and Inactivation of G Proteins
Plant Hormones
Plant Hormones
Tonicity in Plants
Tonicity
Tonicity describes the capacity of a cell to lose or gain water depending on the solute...

