Luan S. (ed.) Coding and Decoding of Calcium Signals in Plants [Signaling and Communication in Plants]

Springer. 2011. 274 p.

Plants cannot move away from their environments. As a result, all plants that have survived to date have evolved sophisticated signaling mechanisms that allow them to perceive, respond, and adapt to constantly changing environmental conditions. Among the many cellular processes that respond to environmental changes, elevation of calcium levels is by far the most universal messenger that matches primary signals to cellular responses. Yet it remains unclear how calcium, a simple cation, translates so many different signals into distinct responses - how is the specificity of signal-response coupling encoded within the calcium changes? This book will attempt to answer this question by describing the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the coding and decoding of calcium signals in plant cells.

Contents

Plant Cell Calcium, Past and Future
Calcium Signaling and Homeostasis in Nuclei
Interactions Between Calcium and ROP Signaling Regulate Pollen Tube Tip Growth
Calcium, Mechanical Signaling, and Tip Growth
Calcium Signals in the Control of Stomatal Movements
Stimulus Perception and Membrane Excitation in Unicellular Alga Chlamydomonas
Cyclic Nucleotide Gated Channels (CNGCs) and the Generation of Ca2+ Signals
Annexins
Structure and Function of CDPK: A Sensor Responder of Calcium
Elucidation of Calcium-Signaling Components and Networks
Decoding of Calcium Signal Through Calmodulin: Calmodulin-Binding Proteins in Plants
The CBL–CIPK Network for Decoding Calcium Signals in Plants