The CNGCb and CNGCd genes from Physcomitrella patens moss encode for thermosensory calcium channels responding to fluidity changes in the plasma membrane

Andrija Finka, Pierre Goloubinoff*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

38 Scopus citations

Abstract

Land plants need precise thermosensors to timely establish molecular defenses in anticipation of upcoming noxious heat waves. The plasma membrane-embedded cyclic nucleotide-gated Ca2+ channels (CNGCs) can translate mild variations of membrane fluidity into an effective heat shock response, leading to the accumulation of heat shock proteins (HSP) that prevent heat damages in labile proteins and membranes. Here, we deleted by targeted mutagenesis the CNGCd gene in two Physcomitrella patens transgenic moss lines containing either the heat-inducible HSP-GUS reporter cassette or the constitutive UBI-Aequorin cassette. The stable CNGCd knockout mutation caused a hyper-thermosensitive moss phenotype, in which the heat-induced entry of apoplastic Ca2+ and the cytosolic accumulation of GUS were triggered at lower temperatures than in wild type. The combined effects of an artificial membrane fluidizer and elevated temperatures suggested that the gene products of CNGCd and CNGCb are paralogous subunits of Ca2+channels acting as a sensitive proteolipid thermocouple. Depending on the rate of temperature increase, the duration and intensity of the heat priming preconditions, terrestrial plants may thus acquire an array of HSP-based thermotolerance mechanisms against upcoming, otherwise lethal, extreme heat waves.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)83-90
Number of pages8
JournalCell Stress and Chaperones
Volume19
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2014
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Acquired thermotolerance
  • Ca channels
  • Heat shock proteins
  • Physcomitrella patens
  • Plant heat shock response

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