The role of pectate lyases in development and stress tolerance in plants

Pectate lyases (PLs) are a class of pectin-degrading enzymes that catalyze the β-elimination of de-esterified homogalacturonan in a Ca²⁺-dependent manner, releasing unsaturated oligogalacturonides and playing pivotal roles in plant cell wall remodelling. In plants, Pectate lyases are encoded by a large and diverse gene family, whose members exhibit both spatially and temporally distinct expression patterns. Many PLs display functional redundancy, play a key developmental process, including vascular differentiation, pollen tube elongation, organ abscission, fruit softening, etc. The activity of PLs is tightly regulated at multiple levels, including transcriptional control, hormonal signaling (e.g., ethylene, auxin, and abscisic acid), and stress. Moreover, targeted manipulation of PL genes has demonstrated promising outcomes in crop improvement and resistance to pathogens by modulating cell wall integrity and signaling. This review provides an overview of plant PL gene family evolution, regulatory mechanisms in plant growth and defence, and emerging applications of PL.