Enlightenment on the aequorin-based platform for screening Arabidopsis stress sensory channels related to calcium signaling

Abstract

Free calcium ions (Ca2+) are an important signal molecule in response to a large array of external stimuli encountered by plants. Using the aequorin-based Ca2+ recording system, tremendous progress has been made in understanding the Ca2+ responses to biotic or abiotic stresses in dicotyledonous Arabidopsis. However, due to the lack of a similar detection system, little information has been obtained from the monocotyledonous rice (Oryza sativa). Recombinant aequorin has been introduced into rice, and the Ca2+ responses to NaCl and H2O2 in rice roots were characterized. Although rice calcium signal sensor research has just started, the transgenic rice expressing aequorin provides a good platform to study rice adapted to different environmental conditions.