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The Evolution of Calcium-Based Signalling in Plants.
Kai H Edel1, Elodie Marchadier2, Colin Brownlee3
1Institut für Biologie und Biotechnologie der Pflanzen, Universität Münster, Schlossplatz 7, 48149 Münster, Germany.
Current Biology : CB
|July 12, 2017
Summary
Plant and animal cells use calcium signaling, but plant evolution has led to unique components like specific decoder proteins and vacuole regulation. This shapes their distinct calcium signaling toolkit.
Area of Science:
- Plant Biology
- Cellular Signaling
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Calcium ions (Ca2+) are crucial intracellular second messengers in both plants and animals.
- Genomic and physiological studies reveal conserved and divergent elements in calcium signaling pathways between kingdoms.
- Understanding these differences is key to deciphering plant-specific responses to stimuli.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the evolutionary trajectory of calcium signaling components in plants compared to animals.
- To identify unique features of the plant calcium toolkit shaped by evolutionary pressures.
- To investigate the role of vacuolar calcium storage and electrical signaling in plant calcium dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Comparative genomics and physiological analysis of calcium signaling pathways.
- Evolutionary analysis of protein families involved in calcium sensing and response.
- Examination of vacuolar function and electrical signaling in plant cells.
Main Results:
- Plants show reduced diversity in plasma membrane calcium influx mechanisms compared to animals.
- The plant vacuole offers unique possibilities for cytosolic calcium regulation.
- Plants possess specific calcium-decoder proteins absent in animals.
- Plants appear to utilize cyclic-nucleotide signaling less extensively than animals.
Conclusions:
- Plant calcium signaling toolkit evolution is characterized by loss, diversification, and unique component acquisition.
- The plant vacuole and specific decoder proteins represent key adaptations in plant calcium signaling.
- Reliance on a single second messenger system, possibly coupled with environmental adaptation, has shaped the plant calcium toolkit.
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