钙信号是植物生长发育和逆境响应的重要调控因子,是植物生理与逆境生物学研究领域中的热点之一。当植物细胞受到外界逆境刺激时,其胞内会产生具有时空特异性的Ca2+信号变化,这种变化首先被胞内钙感受器所感知并解码,再由钙感受器互作蛋白将信号传递到下游,从而激活下游早期响应基因的表达或相关离子通道的活性,最终产生特异性逆境响应。植物细胞通过感知胞内钙信号的变化如何识别来自外界不同性质或不同强度的刺激,是近几年植物生物学家所关注的科学问题。文章主要总结了近几年在植物钙感受器研究领域中的最新进展,包括钙依赖蛋白激酶(CDPKs)、钙调素(CaMs)、类钙调素蛋白(CMLs)、类钙调磷酸酶B蛋白(CBLs)及其互作蛋白激酶(CIPKs)等的结构、功能及其介导的逆境信号途径,并提供新的见解和展望。
Calcium (Ca^2+) signals are a core regulator of plant growth and development and responses to environmental cues and thus highlighted in plant physiological and stress biology. External stimuli trigger specifically intracellular spatial and temporal [Ca^2+]eyt variations in plant cells. This [Ca^2+]cyt variations will be sensed and decoded by calcium sensors and, in turn, calcium sensor interacting proteins transmit resulting signals to the downstream effectors to activate the expression of early response genes or promote ion channel activities, finally leading to specific stress responses. How the plant cell distinguishes different types or intensity of external stimuli through sensing intracellular spatial and temporal variations of Ca^2+ signals is a scientific issue recently highlighted by plant biologists. This review summarized recent advances in the research field of plant calcium sensors, including the structural characteristics, functional roles, and stress signaling path- ways of calcium-dependent protein ldnases (CDPKs), calmodulins (CaMs), calmodulin-like proteins (CMLs), and cal- cineurin B-like proteins (CBLs) and their interacting kinases (CIPKs), and moreover provided new insights and perspectives.