Touch, light, wounding: how anaesthetics affect plant sensing abilities

Area of Science:

• Plant physiology
• Neurobiology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Plants possess sensory mechanisms to perceive environmental stimuli.
• Anaesthetics, known for affecting animals, also influence plant physiological responses.
• General volatile anaesthetics (GVAs) can disrupt plant sensory pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of general volatile anaesthetics (GVAs) on plant sensory perception and cellular responses.
• To explore the potential mechanisms of anaesthetic action in plants, including ion channel modulation.
• To assess the dual role of GVAs as inhibitors and stressors in plant systems.

Main Methods:

• Exposure of plants to general volatile anaesthetics (GVAs).
• Analysis of plant responses to stimuli like touch, injury, and light.
• Investigation of ion channel activity, particularly Ca2+ influx.
• Gene expression analysis to identify cellular reprogramming.
• Observation of effects on processes like de-etiolation, photomorphogenesis, and vesicle trafficking.

Main Results:

• GVAs inhibit plant responses to various stimuli, including touch, injury, and light.
• Anaesthetics modulate plant ion channel activity, such as Ca2+ influx, potentially via GLUTAMATE RECEPTOR-LIKE proteins (GLRs).
• GVAs induce cellular stress responses, including Ca2+ signaling, heat shock response, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation.
• Down-regulation of chlorophyll biosynthesis and pigment-protein complex genes inhibits de-etiolation and photomorphogenesis.
• Inhibition of vesicle trafficking, germination, and circumnutation movements observed.

Conclusions:

• General volatile anaesthetics (GVAs) significantly affect plant sensory perception and signaling pathways.
• GVAs act as stressors, inducing plant preconditioning that enhances tolerance to abiotic stresses.
• Anaesthetics represent a potential tool for scientific research into plant environmental responses and stress adaptation.