Cysteine-rich receptor-like protein kinases: emerging regulators of plant stress responses

Trends Plant Sci. 2023 Jul;28(7):776-794. doi: 10.1016/j.tplants.2023.03.028. Epub 2023 Apr 26.

Abstract

Cysteine-rich receptor-like kinases (CRKs) belong to a large DUF26-containing receptor-like kinase (RLK) family. They play key roles in immunity, abiotic stress response, and growth and development. How CRKs regulate diverse processes is a long-standing question. Recent studies have advanced our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying CRK functions in Ca2+ influx, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade activation, callose deposition, stomatal immunity, and programmed cell death (PCD). We review the CRK structure-function relationship with a focus on the roles of CRKs in immunity, the abiotic stress response, and the growth-stress tolerance tradeoff. We provide a critical analysis and synthesis of how CRKs control sophisticated regulatory networks that determine diverse plant phenotypic outputs.

Keywords: abiotic stress; cysteine-rich receptor-like kinase; emerging regulator; growth and development; immunity; phytohormone.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Arabidopsis* / metabolism
  • Cysteine / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
  • Plants / genetics
  • Plants / metabolism
  • Protein Kinases / genetics
  • Protein Kinases / metabolism
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / genetics

Substances

  • Cysteine
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Protein Kinases