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Heat perception and signalling in plants: a tortuous path to thermotolerance
Author(s) -
Saidi Younousse,
Finka Andrija,
Goloubinoff Pierre
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03571.x
Subject(s) - heat shock protein , microbiology and biotechnology , signalling , heat shock factor , heat shock , signal transduction , hydrogen peroxide , kinase , transcription factor , mapk/erk pathway , biology , nitric oxide , hsp70 , chemistry , biochemistry , gene , endocrinology
Summary An accurate assessment of the rising ambient temperature by plant cells is crucial for the timely activation of various molecular defences before the appearance of heat damage. Recent findings have allowed a better understanding of the early cellular events that take place at the beginning of mild temperature rise, to timely express heat‐shock proteins (HSPs), which will, in turn, confer thermotolerance to the plant. Here, we discuss the key components of the heat signalling pathway and suggest a model in which a primary sensory role is carried out by the plasma membrane and various secondary messengers, such as Ca 2+ ions, nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ). We also describe the role of downstream components, such as calmodulins, mitogen‐activated protein kinases and Hsp90, in the activation of heat‐shock transcription factors (HSFs). The data gathered for land plants suggest that, following temperature elevation, the heat signal is probably transduced by several pathways that will, however, coalesce into the final activation of HSFs, the expression of HSPs and the onset of cellular thermotolerance.