Ng Ley Moy, Melcher Karsten, Teh Bin Tean, Xu H Eric
Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117599, Singapore.
Laboratory of Structural Sciences, Center for Structural Biology and Drug Discovery, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA.
Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2014 May;35(5):567-84. doi: 10.1038/aps.2014.5.
Adverse environmental conditions are a threat to agricultural yield and therefore exert a global effect on livelihood, health and the economy. Abscisic acid (ABA) is a vital plant hormone that regulates abiotic stress tolerance, thereby allowing plants to cope with environmental stresses. Previously, attempts to develop a complete understanding of the mechanisms underlying ABA signaling have been hindered by difficulties in the identification of bona fide ABA receptors. The discovery of the PYR/PYL/RCAR family of ABA receptors therefore represented a major milestone in the effort to overcome these roadblocks; since then, many structural and functional studies have provided detailed insights into processes ranging from ABA perception to the activation of ABA-responsive gene transcription. This understanding of the mechanisms of ABA perception and signaling has served as the basis for recent, preliminary developments in the genetic engineering of stress-resistant crops as well as in the design of new synthetic ABA agonists, which hold great promise for the agricultural enhancement of stress tolerance.
不利的环境条件对农业产量构成威胁，因此对生计、健康和经济产生全球性影响。脱落酸（ABA）是一种重要的植物激素，可调节植物对非生物胁迫的耐受性，从而使植物能够应对环境胁迫。此前，由于难以鉴定真正的ABA受体，全面了解ABA信号传导机制的尝试受到了阻碍。因此，ABA受体PYR/PYL/RCAR家族的发现代表了克服这些障碍努力中的一个重要里程碑；从那时起，许多结构和功能研究对从ABA感知到ABA响应基因转录激活的过程提供了详细的见解。对ABA感知和信号传导机制的这种理解，为抗逆作物基因工程的最新初步进展以及新型合成ABA激动剂的设计奠定了基础，这些激动剂在农业增强胁迫耐受性方面具有巨大潜力。
