Reviving resilience: MEcPP-mediated ASK1-IMPα-9-TRP2 stress-responsive module
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Updated: Jun 23, 2025

Measurements of Physiological Stress Responses in C. Elegans
Published on: May 21, 2020
Hamza Sohail1, Iqra Noor1, Xuewen Xu1
1School of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, 225009, China.
Abstract:
Chloroplasts are not only critical photosynthesis sites in plants, but they also participate in plastidial retrograde signaling in response to developmental and environmental signals. MEcPP (2-C-Methyl-D-erythritol-2,4-cyclopyrophosphate) is an intermediary in the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway in chloroplasts. It is a critical precursor for the synthesis of isoprenoids and terpenoid derivatives, which play crucial roles in plant growth and development, photosynthesis, reproduction, and defense against environmental constraints. Accumulation of MEcPP under stressful conditions triggers the expression of IMPα-9 and TPR2, contributing to the activation of abiotic stress-responsive genes. In this correspondence, we discuss plastidial retrograde signaling in support of a recently published paper in Molecular Plant (Zeng et al. 2024). We hope that it can shed more insight on the retrograde signaling cascade.
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