A feather-light touch can trigger a chain reaction in a plant in less than a minute. Researchers at Lund University have identified the molecular signaling pathway that links mechanical stimulation to changes in plant genes and growth.
Plants cannot run away when the wind picks up, rain lashes down, or a hungry herbivore begins chewing on their leaves. Instead, they must sense their surroundings and adapt. Now, researchers have uncovered an important piece of the puzzle of what actually happens inside plants when they are exposed to touch, injury, or other physical stimuli.
By subjecting the plant Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress), a small flowering weed related to mustard and cabbage, to different forms of mechanical stimulation, the research team showed that a chain of three specific proteins becomes activated. These proteins, known as MAP kinases, are activated within a minute and then send signals that affect the activity of hundreds of genes and contribute to changes in plant growth.
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