The Plant Cell, Vol. 14, S1,
May 2002, Copyright © 2002,
American Society of Plant Biologists
Ralph S. Quatrano, Editor-in-Chief,
Sarah M. Assmann, Special Issue Editor,
Dale Sanders, Special Issue Editor and
Nancy A. Eckardt, News and Reviews Editor
Plants are exposed continually to a myriad of environmental and developmental signals from seed germination through plant growth and maturation to flowering and production of the next generation. Light, gravity, nutrient availability, drought and salinity, ion fluxes, hormones, temperature, wind and mechanical stress, pests and pathogens all represent signals that are perceived and processed by cells in ways that allow plants to respond to and modify growth according to the prevailing conditions. As sessile organisms with a relatively flexible developmental plan, the ability to respond to stress signals takes on particular significance.
In the last decade, considerable progress has been made in deciphering how plant cells perceive and orchestrate responses to this multitude of signals. The concept of linear biochemical and metabolic pathways has been a central paradigm governing genetic research for most of the last century, and it has been invaluable in determining the functions of innumerable genes and proteins. However, despite its usefulness, we must not allow this concept to limit our understanding of how cells function. We now have many of the tools necessary to achieve a detailed understanding of signaling networks and the complex interactions that exist between what traditionally have been perceived as individual pathways.
This volume includes a series of review articles that provide an in-depth analysis of the state of the art in many areas of plant signal transduction. These articles build on the enormous insights that have emerged from the application of molecular and genetic approaches since the last Special Issue of The Plant Cell devoted to plant signaling (April 1999). Topics covered include plant hormone signaling in development and stress responses, nutrient and polypeptide signaling, light signaling, the control of flowering, the importance of 14-3-3 proteins, GTPases, and calcium in plant signaling, cell-to-cell signaling in organ development, signaling between the nucleus and chloroplast, signaling involved in self-incompatibility and in nitrogen-fixing nodule formation, RNA silencing, and the function of plasmodesmata in signal transduction. Major themes that emerge are those of diversity, redundancy, and interrelatedness among signaling networks. We believe that this volume will serve as a valuable resource for plant biologists—whether in teaching or research—striving to realize a holistic view of plant cell function.
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