Different stresses, similar morphogenic responses: integrating a plethora of pathways

• Published in: Plant, cell and environment cell and environment, 2009-02, Vol.32 (2), p.158-169
• Main Authors: POTTERS, GEERT, PASTERNAK, TARAS P, GUISEZ, YVES, JANSEN, MARCEL A.K
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antioxidants - metabolism; auxin; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Division; Ethylenes - metabolism; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Indoleacetic Acids - metabolism; morphogenesis; Oxidative Stress; Plant Cells; Plant Development; Plants - metabolism; reactive oxygen species; Reactive Oxygen Species - metabolism; redox; Stress, Physiological
• ISSN: 0140-7791; 1365-3040
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3040.2008.01908.x

Exposure of plants to mild chronic stress can cause induction of specific, stress-induced morphogenic responses (SIMRs). These responses are characterized by a blockage of cell division in the main meristematic tissues, an inhibition of elongation and a redirected outgrowth of lateral organs. Key elements in the ontogenesis of this phenotype appear to be stress-affected gradients of reactive oxygen species (ROS), antioxidants, auxin and ethylene. These gradients are present at the the organismal level, but are integrated on the cellular level, affecting cell division, cell elongation and/or cell differentiation. Our analysis of the literature indicates that stress-induced modulation of plant growth is mediated by a plethora of molecular interactions, whereby different environmental signals can trigger similar morphogenic responses. At least some of the molecular interactions that underlie morphogenic responses appear to be interchangeable. We speculate that this complexity can be viewed in terms of a thermodynamic model, in which not the specific pathway, but the achieved metabolic state is biologically conserved.