A force of nature: molecular mechanisms of mechanoperception in plants

Abstract

The ability to sense and respond to a wide variety of mechanical stimuli-gravity, touch, osmotic pressure, or the resistance of the cell wall-is a critical feature of every plant cell, whether or not it is specialized for mechanotransduction. Mechanoperceptive events are an essential part of plant life, required for normal growth and development at the cell, tissue, and whole-plant level and for the proper response to an array of biotic and abiotic stresses. One current challenge for plant mechanobiologists is to link these physiological responses to specific mechanoreceptors and signal transduction pathways. Here, we describe recent progress in the identification and characterization of two classes of putative mechanoreceptors, ion channels and receptor-like kinases. We also discuss how the secondary messenger Ca(2+) operates at the centre of many of these mechanical signal transduction pathways.

Rapid hyperosmotic-induced Ca 2+ responses in Arabidopsis thaliana exhibit sensory potentiation and involvement of plastidial KEA transporters

“…1 A and B). These small responses could be the result of the seedlings sensing a mechanical force caused during application of the stimulus into the wells containing the seedlings (22,23). We found that these "mechano-sensory" responses peaked consistently within 2 s and returned to baseline by 20 s under the imposed conditions ( Fig.…”

The Arabidopsis Synaptotagmin1 Is Enriched in Endoplasmic Reticulum-Plasma Membrane Contact Sites and Confers Cellular Resistance to Mechanical Stresses

“…For instance, plants experience progressive mechanical self-loading as they increase in size or bear fruit (Almeras et al, 2004), intricate stress patterns are generated by different expansion rates between particular plant tissues (Mirabet et al, 2011;Sampathkumar et al, 2014), and plant cells, which are physically restrained by a rigid cell wall, generate turgor pressure characterized by circumferential tensile forces and radial compressive forces toward the plasma membrane (Telewski, 2006). Under mechanical stresses, different cell types, including meristematic, expanding, and fully differentiated cells, undergo physiological changes based on the sensing and integration of various mechanical signals (Monshausen and Haswell, 2013). Although it is well established that plants sense and respond to mechanical cues, our understanding of the various molecular mechanisms by which this is accomplished is limited, and most of our knowledge relies on comparisons with mechanosensors and transduction pathways identified in Escherichia coli and mammalian cells (Arnadóttir and Chalfie, 2010).…”

Mechanical Stimulation Modifies Canopy Architecture and Improves Volume Utilization Efficiency in Bell Pepper: Implications for Bioregenerative Life-support and Vertical Farming

“…Over the ensuing 40 years many others have followed up on Jaffe's work, notably amongst others, Cary Mitchell's group at Purdue (West Lafayette, IN, USA), Joyce Latimer at Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA, USA), and Janet Braam at Rice University (Houston, TX, USA). It is now known that thigmomorphogenesis includes a wide range of responses including, but not limited to, shortening of internodes, stem thickening, reduced leaf expansion, changes in chlorophyll content, and alterations in plant hormone levels (Beyl & Mitchell 1983, Biddington 1986, Braam 2005, Chehab et al 2008, Latimer et al 1991, Mitchell & Myers 1995, Monshausen & Haswell 2013. Abstract: Mechanical stimuli or stress has been shown to induce characteristic morphogenic responses (thigmomorphogenesis) in a range of crop species.…”