REVIEW

Signal convergence through the lenses of MAP kinases: paradigms of stress and hormone signaling in plants

  • Kundan KUMAR , 1 ,
  • Dhammaprakash Pandhari WANKHEDE 2 ,
  • Alok Krishna SINHA 2
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  • 1. Department of Plant Soil and Insect Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst MA 01003, USA
  • 2. National Institute of Plant Genome Research, Aruna Asaf Ali Road New Delhi 110067, India

Received date: 31 Dec 2011

Accepted date: 13 Feb 2012

Published date: 01 Feb 2013

Copyright

2014 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

Abstract

Common mechanisms plants use to translate the external stimuli into cellular responses are the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade. These MAPK cascades are highly conserved in eukaryotes and consist of three subsequently acting protein kinases, MAP kinase kinase kinase (MAPKKK), MAP kinase kinase (MAPKK) and MAP kinase (MAPK) which are linked in various ways with upstream receptors and downstream targets. Plant MAPK cascades regulate numerous processes, including various environmental stresses, hormones, cell division and developmental processes. The number of MAPKKs in Arabidopsis and rice is almost half the number of MAPKs pointing important role of MAPKKs in integrating signals from several MAPKKKs and transducing signals to various MAPKs. The cross talks between different signal transduction pathways are concentrated at the level of MAPKK in the MAPK cascade. Here we discussed the insights into MAPKK mediated response to environmental stresses and in plant growth and development.

Cite this article

Kundan KUMAR , Dhammaprakash Pandhari WANKHEDE , Alok Krishna SINHA . Signal convergence through the lenses of MAP kinases: paradigms of stress and hormone signaling in plants[J]. Frontiers in Biology, 2013 , 8(1) : 109 -118 . DOI: 10.1007/s11515-012-1207-1

Acknowledgments

Senior research fellowship to K. K. and D. P. W. during Ph.D. program from University Grants Commission, India is gratefully acknowledged. We apologize to colleagues whose work was not discussed owing to space constraints.
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