Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA.
Curr Biol. 2010 Dec 21;20(24):R1086-92. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2010.10.035.
Plants respond to ambient temperature changes over a series of timescales. Genetic and physiological studies over the last decades have revealed myriad thermally sensitive pathways in plants. A recent study provides a genetic and biochemical mechanistic description of how thermal changes can be transduced to influence gene expression. What remains to be revealed in this, and other thermally controlled responses, is a description of the primary temperature-sensing event. Cooling and warming alter membrane fluidity and elicit intracellular free-calcium elevations, a process that has been considered the primary event controlling plant responses to temperature. Such direct thermal sensors appear to process temperature information. Future efforts will be required to identify the effector proteins linking perception to response. This review considers the evidence for plant thermometers to date, provides a description of several notable physiological and developmental processes under ambient temperature control, and outlines major questions that remain to be addressed in the understanding of thermometers in plants.
植物会在一系列时间尺度上对环境温度变化作出响应。过去几十年来的遗传学和生理学研究揭示了植物中存在无数对温度敏感的途径。最近的一项研究提供了一个遗传和生化机制的描述，说明了温度变化如何被转导来影响基因表达。在这方面，以及其他受温度控制的反应中，还有一个问题有待揭示，那就是主要的温度感应事件。冷却和升温会改变膜的流动性，并引起细胞内游离钙的升高，这个过程被认为是控制植物对温度反应的主要事件。这种直接的温度传感器似乎可以处理温度信息。未来需要努力确定将感知与反应联系起来的效应蛋白。本综述考虑了迄今为止植物温度计的证据，描述了几个在环境温度控制下的显著生理和发育过程，并概述了在理解植物温度计方面仍需要解决的主要问题。
