Electric signaling and long-distance communication in plants

Abstract

Plants seem to have different modes of cell-to-cell and long-distance communication. The transmission of information involves phytohormones, organic transmitters and movement of macromolecules. There is also substantial evidence on the existence of electric signals in higher plants that converge on contact nodes similar to the immunological synapses found in animals. The origin, nature and mechanism of conduction of these signals are largely unknown. It was suggested that electrical potentials play an important role in inter- and intracellular cross talk; however, the mechanism through which plants decipher and act upon these signals is also a black box. Here we have covered the historical purview of electrical signaling in plants including the nature of electrical signals, mechanism of electrical conduction, and pathways for transmission. A brief description of other mobile molecular and cellular transmitters operative in long-distance communication is also provided.