From:
To: Jeffrey Epstein <jeevacation@gmail.com>
Subject: Fwd: Nervous system-like signaling in plant defense
Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2018 00:18:53 +0000
Begin forwarded message:
From: Tony Pan < >
Date: 14, 2018 at 6:32:38 PM CDT
To: < >
Subject: Nervous system-like signaling in plant defense
More analogies to neurotransmission appear in plants!
Nervous system-like signaling in plant defense
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/361/6407/1068
The ability to initiate a rapid defense against biotic attacks and mechanical damage is critical for all
organisms. Multicellular organisms have developed mechanisms to systemically communicate the
occurrence of a wound to help them escape or defend themselves from predators. Because plants
are stationary and cannot escape herbivory, they must respond with chemical defenses to deter
herbivores and repair damaged tissue. On page 1112 of this issue, Toyota et at (1) report long-
distance calcium ion signaling in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana in response to caterpillar
herbivory or mechanical wounding (see the image). They uncover long-distance calcium signals that
require glutamate-like receptor (GLR) channels for signal propagation. These channels am activated
by extracellular glutamate, a well-known mammalian neurotransmitter and a more recently
uncovered developmental signal in plants (2). In mammals, glutamate receptors am central to fast
excitatory neurotransmission, which is an intriguing parallel to their role as long-distance signals in
wounding and defense in plants.
EFTA01023066