Review: Plants calcium signaling is both conserved and plant-specific
Plant Science Research WeeklyAlthough calcium ions are universal second messengers, plants employ both conserved and unique strategies to decode Ca²⁺ signals. In a new review in Cell, Sheng Luan reviews the molecular tools used to study calcium signaling in plants and the mechanisms that govern this process. Like other cells,…
A mutation in a nuclear-membrane localized calcium channel enhances symbiosis
Plant Science Research WeeklyCalcium oscillations are widely employed molecular signals, but how signals are encoded and decoded remains largely unknown. In a new study, Cook et al. investigated mutations in the nuclear envelope-localized calcium channel CNGC15 from the legume Medicago truncatula. This protein normally forms a complex…
Glutamate receptors shape plant systemic wound signaling and anti-herbivore defense
Plant Science Research WeeklySystemic immunity, where local plant interactions with microbes or insects trigger enhanced resistance in distant organs, has parallels to the nervous system in animals. In plants, GLUTAMATE RECEPTOR-LIKE (GLR) genes have a pivotal role in long-distance wound signal transmission and the initiation of…