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Electrical and Chemical Signaling in Plant Defence

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 May 2021) | Viewed by 9268

Special Issue Editors

Matthias Schleiden Institute of Genetics, Bioinformatics and Molecular Botany, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Dornburger Str. 159, 07743 Jena, Germany
Interests: plant–microbe interaction; phloem physiology; systemic signaling in plants; phytohormones; electrical signals
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Plant Physiology, Matthias Schleiden Institute of Genetics, Bioinformatics and Molecular Botany, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plants are exposed to countless different organisms, like bacteria, fungi, insects and interact in a rather friendly or harmful way with them. In combination with the sessile life of plants a perception ability for adequate answers is required otherwise plant’s fitness is at risk. Therefore, the plant’s interaction with its living environment must result in an induction of local and systemic signals which inform other plant parts or even neighbouring plants. This means signalling networks are of high significance for plant’s growth and survival. Signalling networks are composed of electrophysiological and chemical signals. A wealth set of data is known for chemical signals e.g. phytohormones, RNAs, peptides, ROS, VOCs, but less is known about the integrative role of electrophysiological signals e.g. action potentials (APs), variation potentials (VPs), system potentials (SPs) or a mixture of those. In particular, the potential cooperation of electrophysiological and chemical signals is unknown but of high interest. It seems very likely that the complex heterogeneous interaction of plants with their environment demands a wide plasticity of signals and their combinations.

We would be pleased to get original research papers, reviews or opinion papers related to any aspect of electrophysiological or chemical signalling in response to biotic stimuli as well as mediated downstream events.

Dr. Alexandra Furch
Guest Editors
Dr. Matthias Rudi Zimmermann
Co-Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • Plant-pathogen/symbiont/insect-interaction
  • Plant defense
  • Systemic signaling and response
  • Electrical signal
  • Chemical signal
  • Vascular system

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 7652 KiB  
Article
Stochastic Spatial Heterogeneity in Activities of H+-ATP-Ases in Electrically Connected Plant Cells Decreases Threshold for Cooling-Induced Electrical Responses
by Ekaterina Sukhova, Daria Ratnitsyna and Vladimir Sukhov
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(15), 8254; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms22158254 - 31 Jul 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1557
Abstract
H+-ATP-ases, which support proton efflux through the plasma membrane, are key molecular transporters for electrogenesis in cells of higher plants. Initial activities of the transporters can influence the thresholds of generation of electrical responses induced by stressors and modify other parameters [...] Read more.
H+-ATP-ases, which support proton efflux through the plasma membrane, are key molecular transporters for electrogenesis in cells of higher plants. Initial activities of the transporters can influence the thresholds of generation of electrical responses induced by stressors and modify other parameters of these responses. Previously, it was theoretically shown that the stochastic heterogeneity of individual cell thresholds for electrical responses in a system of electrically connected neuronal cells can decrease the total threshold of the system (“diversity-induced resonance”, DIR). In the current work, we tested a hypothesis about decreasing the thresholds of generation of cooling-induced electrical responses in a system of electrically connected plant cells with increasing stochastic spatial heterogeny in the initial activities of H+-ATP-ases in these cells. A two-dimensional model of the system of electrically connected excitable cells (simple imitation of plant leaf), which was based on a model previously developed in our works, was used for the present investigation. Simulation showed that increasing dispersion in the distribution of initial activities of H+-ATP-ases between cells decreased the thresholds of generation of cooling-induced electrical responses. In addition, the increasing weakly influenced the amplitudes of electrical responses. Additional analysis showed two different mechanisms of the revealed effect. The increasing spatial heterogeneity in activities of H+-ATP-ases induced a weak positive shift of the membrane potential at rest. The shift decreased the threshold of electrical response generation. However, the decreased threshold induced by increasing the H+-ATP-ase activity heterogeneity was also observed after the elimination of the positive shift. The result showed that the “DIR-like” mechanism also participated in the revealed effect. Finally, we showed that the standard deviation of the membrane potentials before the induction of action potentials could be used for the estimation of thresholds of cooling-induced plant electrical responses. Thus, spatial heterogeneity in the initial activities of H+-ATP-ases can be a new regulatory mechanism influencing the generation of electrical responses in plants under actions of stressors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrical and Chemical Signaling in Plant Defence)
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16 pages, 2907 KiB  
Article
Genome-Wide Identification, Diversification, and Expression Analysis of Lectin Receptor-Like Kinase (LecRLK) Gene Family in Cucumber under Biotic Stress
by Muhammad Salman Haider, Savitha De Britto, Geetha Nagaraj, Bhavya Gurulingaiah, Ravikant Shekhar, Shin-ichi Ito and Sudisha Jogaiah
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(12), 6585; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms22126585 - 19 Jun 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2439
Abstract
Members of the lectin receptor-like kinase (LecRLKs) family play a vital role in innate plant immunity. Few members of the LecRLKs family have been characterized in rice and Arabidopsis, respectively. However, little literature is available about LecRLKs and their role against fungal [...] Read more.
Members of the lectin receptor-like kinase (LecRLKs) family play a vital role in innate plant immunity. Few members of the LecRLKs family have been characterized in rice and Arabidopsis, respectively. However, little literature is available about LecRLKs and their role against fungal infection in cucumber. In this study, 60 putative cucumber LecRLK (CsLecRLK) proteins were identified using genome-wide analysis and further characterized into L-type LecRLKs (24) and G-type LecRLKs (36) based on domain composition and phylogenetic analysis. These proteins were allocated to seven cucumber chromosomes and found to be involved in the expansion of the CsLecRLK gene family. Subcellular localization of CsaLecRLK9 and CsaLecRLK12 showed green fluorescence signals in the plasma membrane of leaves. The transcriptional profiling of CsLecRLK genes showed that L-type LecRLKs exhibited functional redundancy as compared to G-type LecRLKs. The qRT-PCR results indicated that both L- and G-type LecRLKs showed significant response against plant growth-promoting fungi (PGPF-Trichoderma harzianum Rifai), powdery mildew pathogen (PPM—Golovinomyces orontii (Castagne) V.P. Heluta), and combined (PGPF+PPM) treatments. The findings of this study contribute to a better understanding of the role of cucumber CsLecRLK genes in response to PGPF, PPM, and PGPF+PPM treatments and lay the basis for the characterization of this important functional gene family. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrical and Chemical Signaling in Plant Defence)
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16 pages, 4237 KiB  
Article
Species-Specific and Distance-Dependent Dispersive Behaviour of Forisomes in Different Legume Species
by Maria K. Paulmann, Matthias R. Zimmermann, Linus Wegner, Aart J. E. van Bel, Grit Kunert and Alexandra C. U. Furch
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(2), 492; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms22020492 - 06 Jan 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1983
Abstract
Forisomes are giant fusiform protein complexes composed of sieve element occlusion (SEO) protein monomers, exclusively found in sieve elements (SEs) of legumes. Forisomes block the phloem mass flow by a Ca2+-induced conformational change (swelling and rounding). We studied the forisome reactivity [...] Read more.
Forisomes are giant fusiform protein complexes composed of sieve element occlusion (SEO) protein monomers, exclusively found in sieve elements (SEs) of legumes. Forisomes block the phloem mass flow by a Ca2+-induced conformational change (swelling and rounding). We studied the forisome reactivity in four different legume species—Medicago sativa, Pisum sativum, Trifolium pratense and Vicia faba. Depending on the species, we found direct relationships between SE diameter, forisome surface area and distance from the leaf tip, all indicative of a developmentally tuned regulation of SE diameter and forisome size. Heat-induced forisome dispersion occurred later with increasing distance from the stimulus site. T. pratense and V. faba dispersion occurred faster for forisomes with a smaller surface area. Near the stimulus site, electro potential waves (EPWs)—overlapping action (APs), and variation potentials (VPs)—were linked with high full-dispersion rates of forisomes. Distance-associated reduction of forisome reactivity was assigned to the disintegration of EPWs into APs, VPs and system potentials (SPs). Overall, APs and SPs alone were unable to induce forisome dispersion and only VPs above a critical threshold were capable of inducing forisome reactions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrical and Chemical Signaling in Plant Defence)
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Review

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29 pages, 735 KiB  
Review
Threat at One End of the Plant: What Travels to Inform the Other Parts?
by Ralf Oelmüller
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(6), 3152; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms22063152 - 19 Mar 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2739
Abstract
Adaptation and response to environmental changes require dynamic and fast information distribution within the plant body. If one part of a plant is exposed to stress, attacked by other organisms or exposed to any other kind of threat, the information travels to neighboring [...] Read more.
Adaptation and response to environmental changes require dynamic and fast information distribution within the plant body. If one part of a plant is exposed to stress, attacked by other organisms or exposed to any other kind of threat, the information travels to neighboring organs and even neighboring plants and activates appropriate responses. The information flow is mediated by fast-traveling small metabolites, hormones, proteins/peptides, RNAs or volatiles. Electric and hydraulic waves also participate in signal propagation. The signaling molecules move from one cell to the neighboring cell, via the plasmodesmata, through the apoplast, within the vascular tissue or—as volatiles—through the air. A threat-specific response in a systemic tissue probably requires a combination of different traveling compounds. The propagating signals must travel over long distances and multiple barriers, and the signal intensity declines with increasing distance. This requires permanent amplification processes, feedback loops and cross-talks among the different traveling molecules and probably a short-term memory, to refresh the propagation process. Recent studies show that volatiles activate defense responses in systemic tissues but also play important roles in the maintenance of the propagation of traveling signals within the plant. The distal organs can respond immediately to the systemic signals or memorize the threat information and respond faster and stronger when they are exposed again to the same or even another threat. Transmission and storage of information is accompanied by loss of specificity about the threat that activated the process. I summarize our knowledge about the proposed long-distance traveling compounds and discuss their possible connections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrical and Chemical Signaling in Plant Defence)
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