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Decoding ABA and osmostress signalling in plants from an evolutionary point of view
Author(s) -
Komatsu Kenji,
Takezawa Daisuke,
Sakata Yoichi
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
plant, cell and environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.646
H-Index - 200
eISSN - 1365-3040
pISSN - 0140-7791
DOI - 10.1111/pce.13869
Subject(s) - abscisic acid , biology , adaptation (eye) , signalling , convergent evolution , genome , bryopsida , computational biology , evolutionary biology , botany , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , phylogenetics , genetics , neuroscience
The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) is fundamental for land plant adaptation to water‐limited conditions. Osmostress, such as drought, induces ABA accumulation in angiosperms, triggering physiological responses such as stomata closure. The core components of angiosperm ABA signalling are soluble ABA receptors, group A protein phosphatase type 2C and SNF1‐related protein kinase2 (SnRK2). ABA also has various functions in non‐angiosperms, however, suggesting that its role in adaptation to land may not have been angiosperm‐specific. Indeed, among land plants, the core ABA signalling components are evolutionarily conserved, implying their presence in a common ancestor. Results of ongoing functional genomics studies of ABA signalling components in bryophytes and algae have expanded our understanding of the evolutionary role of ABA signalling, with genome sequencing uncovering the ABA core module even in algae. In this review, we describe recent discoveries involving the ABA core module in non‐angiosperms, tracing the footprints of how ABA evolved as a phytohormone. We also cover the latest findings on Raf‐like kinases as upstream regulators of the core ABA module component SnRK2. Finally, we discuss the origin of ABA signalling from an evolutionary perspective.