Overview of Cell Signaling Response Under Plant Stress

Abiotic stress due to unfavorable environment and biotic stress due to pathogenic microbes causes oxidative damage to cellular macromolecules such as proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, which ultimately decrease plant productivity. Plants have evolved to adapt and show systemic acclimatization to overcome and resist the cellular, oxidative, and physiological damage by stress. Appropriate response against abiotic stress begins with stress signal reception by cell membrane receptors. This causes change in cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration and generation of secondary signaling molecules. Secondary messengers are activated by protein phosphorylation cascade. Phosphorylation and dephosphorylation events activate transcription factors. These transcription factors activate different stress-responsive genes. Biotic stress caused by entry of pathogenic microbe is limited by oxidative damage in infected cells and increased lignification. Specific chemical compounds are produced by the activation of gene expression system to resist biotic stress. Stress signaling pathways present in plant are highly interconnected and form a dynamic network. Genomic technologies and study of plant gene expression system have provided elaborated information about plant signaling pathways. A complete and clear idea about cell signaling response under plant stress provides improved and advanced solutions to maintain plant growth and productivity under difficult biotic and abiotic conditions. Understanding of plant-pathogen interactions, phytohormones, and signaling molecules involved in plant stress response can be utilized for further research and development of stress-tolerant plant varieties. Such plants can survive in extreme environmental conditions and resist pathogen attack without using chemical pesticides and antimicrobial compounds, which are harmful to environment and food safety.