Extracellular pH sensing by plant cell-surface peptide-receptor complexes
- Journal:
- Cell
- Published:
- DOI:
- 10.1016/j.cell.2022.07.012
- Affiliations:
- 7
- Authors:
- 12
Research Highlight
How plants pick up on pH
© Jose A. Bernat Bacete/Moment/Getty Images
How plants sense the pH in the space between their cells has been uncovered.
The pH in the extracellular space of plants is critical parameter for various processes, including growth and immunity. It is generally acidic, but it varies dynamically in response to environmental and physiological factors.
Despite its importance, knowledge about how plants detect extracellular pH was scant.
Now, a team led by researchers from SUSTech in Shenzhen, China, has discovered that receptors embedded in the surfaces of cells in root tips enable plants to detect extracellular pH. The receptors are for peptides — short chains of amino acids.
Furthermore, they found that an alkaline extracellular pH applies the brakes to root growth while simultaneously enhancing root immunity. These findings could be relevant for crop growth and disease resistance.
References
- Cell 185, 3341–3355 (2022). doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.07.012