Macromolecular crowding sensing during osmotic stress in plants

Trends Biochem Sci. 2024 Mar 20:S0968-0004(24)00038-0. doi: 10.1016/j.tibs.2024.02.002. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTOsmotic stress conditions occur at multiple stages of plant life. Changes in water availability caused by osmotic stress induce alterations in the mechanical properties of the plasma membrane, its interaction with the cell wall, and the concentration of macromolecules in the cytoplasm. We summarize the reported players involved in the sensing mechanisms of osmotic stress in plants. We discuss how changes in macromolecular crowding are perceived intracellularly by intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) in proteins. Finally, we review methods for dynamically monitoring macromolecular crowding in living cells and discuss why their implementation is required for the discovery of new plant osmosensors. Elucidating the osmosensing mechanisms will be essential for designing strategies to improve plant productivity in the face of climate change.PMID:38514274 | DOI:10.1016/j.tibs.2024.02.002

Source: Trends in Biochemical Sciences - March 21, 2024 Category: Biochemistry Authors: G I Meneses-Reyes D L Rodriguez-Bustos C L Cuevas-Velazquez Source Type: research