Regulation of potassium transport in plants under hostile conditions: implications for abiotic and biotic stress tolerance

Citations Over TimeTop 1% of 2014 papers

Abstract

Intracellular potassium homeostasis is a prerequisite for the optimal operation of plant metabolic machinery and plant's overall performance. It is controlled by K(+) uptake, efflux and intracellular and long-distance relocation, mediated by a large number of K(+) -selective and non-selective channels and transporters located at both plasma and vacuolar membranes. All abiotic and biotic stresses result in a significant disturbance to intracellular potassium homeostasis. In this work, we discuss molecular mechanisms and messengers mediating potassium transport and homeostasis focusing on four major environmental stresses: salinity, drought, flooding and biotic factors. We argue that cytosolic K(+) content may be considered as one of the 'master switches' enabling plant transition from the normal metabolism to 'hibernated state' during first hours after the stress exposure and then to a recovery phase. We show that all these stresses trigger substantial disturbance to K(+) homeostasis and provoke a feedback control on K(+) channels and transporters expression and post-translational regulation of their activity, optimizing K(+) absorption and usage, and, at the extreme end, assisting the programmed cell death. We discuss specific modes of regulation of the activity of K(+) channels and transporters by membrane voltage, intracellular Ca(2+) , reactive oxygen species, polyamines, phytohormones and gasotransmitters, and link this regulation with plant-adaptive responses to hostile environments.

Related Papers

• → 5-aminolevulinic acid-mediated plant adaptive responses to abiotic stress(2021)95 cited
• Advances in genetic engineering for plants abiotic stress control(2011)
• → Why most transporter mutations that cause antibiotic resistance are to efflux pumps rather than to import transporters(2020)8 cited
• → Multifaceted Roles of Salicylic Acid and Jasmonic Acid in Plants Against Abiotic Stresses(2020)6 cited
• Progresses of the Study on Plant Abiotic Stress Response Genes(2011)