The transport of ions through the plant cell membrane establishes the key physicochemical parameters for cell function. Stress situations such as those created by soil salinity or low potassium conditions alter the ion transport across the membrane producing dramatic changes in the cell turgor, the membrane potential, and the intracellular pH and concentrations of toxic cations such as sodium and lithium. As a consequence, fundamental metabolic routes are inhibited.
The CIPK family of twenty-six protein kinases regulates the function of several ion transporters at the cell membrane to restore ion homeostasis under stress situations. Our analyses provide an explanation on how the CIPKs are differentially activated to coordinate the adequate cell response to a particular stress.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, PNAS (2014), (doi:10.1073/pnas.1407610111)http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/10/02/1407610111
