Signal Transduction

Musiyam
Fatimatuz Zahroh
Rizky Budiono Putri
Ronal Yoki Saputra
Ramadyan Tefarani

Introduction
Charles Darwin performed pioneering studies on
phototropic growth responses in canary grass and oat
seedling tissue (Darwin 1881).
Since these classic studies, researchers have
demonstrated that plants perceive many enviromental and
physiological signals in order to fine-tune growth and
development.
Plant cells perceive these external and internal signals by
employing specialized sensor protein termed receptors.
One receptors sense their spesific signal, they must
transduce signal (i.e., convert it from one form to another)
in order to amplify the signal and trigger the cellular
respons.
All signal transduction pathways typically involve the
folowing chain of events :
signal receptor signal transduction response

Signal Transduction in Plant and

Animal Cells
Plants and animals employ distinct sets of signals to regulate
their development.
Example (plants) : germination, leaf formation, and flowering
are regulated by enviromental signals (such as temperature,
light, and day length).
Exampel (animals) development is generally regulated by
physiological (i.e., internal) signal.

Plants and Animals have similar transduction

components
Plants and animals share many similarities at the level of
their signal transduction machinery.
For example : plant and animal cells use common
secondary messengers, like calcium, lipid signaling
molecules, and pH changes, to trigger physiological
respones (figure 14.1)

Gambar 14.1

 Plants and animals also employ large numbers of kinase

receptors and kinase signal transduction proteins.
Kinase receptors and kinase signal transduction proteins
have kinase activity as well as functioning as signal
receptors or intermedietes in transduction pathways.
Plant and animal receptor kinase are often localized at the
plasma membrane, where they are ideally positioned the
directly detect extracellular signals.

Gambar 14.2 a dan 14.2 b

Receptor kinase can initiate a signal

transduction cascade
Receptor kinase must modify the activity of other proteins in
order to trigger an intracellular signal transduction
cascade. A target protein can be phosphorylated at various
amino acid residues (serine, threonine, tyrosine, or histidine)
One of the key functions of a kinase cascade is to amplify the
original receptor signaling event at the plasma membrane.
Each kinase that is phosphorylated will modify the activity of
many more of its own target proteins.

 A signaling cascade composed of several kinase will

therefore be able to alter the phosphorylation status of tens
or thousands of target proteins in response to relatively few
ligand molecules originally binding the receptor at the plasma
membrane.
Modification of the activities of protein kinase ultimately
causes changes to gene expression.

 In addition to kinase, enzymes that remove phsophate

groups from proteins, protein phosphatase, play important
roles within signal transduction pathways.
In summary, plants and animals employ receptors in
conjuntion with kinase and phosphatase transduction
components in a number of important signaling pathways.
Figure 14.3 a
Figuer 14.3 b

Figure 14.3 a dan 14.3 b

Plants signal transduction components have

envolved from both prokaryotic and eukaryotic
ancetors
Animal genome s often contain hundreds of G-proteincoupled receptors (GPCRs) that detect a diverse array of
signals ranging from hormones, odors, flavors, and even
light. GPCRs signal via hetero-trimeric G proteins, which are
encoded by a large number of genes.
In contrast, no plant GPCRs have been functionally identified
to date. Moreover, only on copies of hetero trimeric G protein
genes have identified in the Arabidopsis genome (Jones and
Assmann 2004).

 One of the main reasons the higher plants have a distinct

repertoire of signal transduction components is that they
have evolved from both prokaryotic and eukaryotic.
Plants have utilized signaling components from both their
single cell eukaryotic progenitor and the prokaryotic
precursor of the chloroplast.

 The Arabidopsis denome includes two cryptochrome- related

genes (CYR1 and CYR2).
Cryptochrome are bacterial flavoproteins that function as
DNA photolyases that repair pyrimidine dimer produced by
UV light.
Many important plant signaling components are derived from
bacterial signaling proteins, such cytokinin and ethylene
receptor sequences are related two-component regulatory
genes found in bacteria. (figure 14.4)

Gambar 14.4

Signal are precivied at many

locations within plant cells
Plants can percieve external signals at many locations within
their cells. Example, light detected by distinct classes of
photoreceptors at the plasma membrane and in the
cytoplasm and nucleus (figure 14.5)

Gambar 14.5

Plant signal transduction often

involves inactivation of repressor
proteins
Figure 14.6 a. b. c