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Updated: May 22, 2026
06:50
Wide-Field, Real-Time Imaging of Local and Systemic Wound Signals in Arabidopsis
Published on: June 4, 2021
Long-Range Signals Built upon Plant Structural Continuity
Hiraku Suda1, Takuma Hagihara1, Satoshi Ogawa1
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Saitama University, Saitama, Japan;
Annual Review of Plant Biology
|May 20, 2026
Summary
Plants use electrical, calcium, and chemical signals for long-range communication, unlike animal neural networks. Recent advances reveal how these plant signals integrate to coordinate systemic responses across distant organs.
Area of Science:
- Plant Biology
- Cellular Signaling
- Systemic Plant Responses
Background:
- Plants utilize complex signaling pathways, integrating electrical, calcium, and chemical signals for long-range communication.
- Unlike animals' neural connections, plants rely on specialized structures like plasmodesmata and vascular bundles for signal transduction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advancements in understanding plant-specific long-range signal mechanisms.
- To emphasize the initiation, propagation, and integration of diverse signals throughout the plant body.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing traditional electrical potential measurements.
- Employing modern bioimaging techniques, including genetically encoded fluorescent indicators.
- Analyzing signal integration across biological, chemical, and physical processes.
Main Results:
- Improved understanding of long-range signal mechanisms in species like Arabidopsis thaliana, Mimosa pudica, and Dionaea muscipula.
- Development of integrated models encompassing ion channel activities, compound diffusion, and hydraulic signals.
- New insights into how plants coordinate systemic responses across spatially distant organs.
Conclusions:
- Technological advancements have significantly enhanced the elucidation of plant long-range signaling.
- Integrated models provide a comprehensive view of plant communication.
- Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for comprehending plant coordination and systemic responses.
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