WRKY transcription factors (TFs) have been mainly associated with plant defense, but recent studies have suggested additional roles in the regulation of other physiological processes. Here, we explored the possible contribution of two related group III WRKY TFs, WRKY70 and WRKY54, to osmotic stress tolerance. These TFs are positive regulators of plant defense, and co-operate as negative regulat...

All cells respond to osmotic stress by implementing molecular signaling events to protect the organism. Failure to properly adapt can lead to pathologies such as hypertension and ischemia-reperfusion injury. Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are activated in response to osmotic stress, as well as by signals acting through G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). For proper adaptation, the a...

In this research, the effects of zeatin riboside (0.6, 0.8, 1, 1.2 and 1.4 mg l-1), duration of heat stress of 35 °C (6, 8, 10 and 12 days) and mannitol (0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 mg l-1) on anther culture of four eggplant cultivars were investigated in independent experiments. These experiments were performed according to a factorial arrangement in a randomized complete blocks design layout. The re...

The general stress response regulator σ, commonly known as RpoS, is a sigma subunit of RNA polymerase that is up-regulated when bacteria are exposed to environmental stresses such as osmotic shock, high temperature, UV radiation, and feast-famine conditions. Current knowledge is that a single stress condition can provide stress tolerance and can also lead to cross-protection against unrelated c...

Plants experience hyperosmotic stress when faced with saline soils and possibly drought stress, but it is currently unclear how plants perceive this stress in an environment of dynamic water availabilities. Hyperosmotic stress induces a rapid rise in intracellular Ca concentrations ([Ca]i) in plants, and this Ca response may reflect the activities of osmosensory components. Here, we find in the...

The gram-positive soil bacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum, a major amino acid-producing microorganism in biotechnology, is equipped with several osmoregulated uptake systems for compatible solutes, which is relevant for the physiological response to osmotic stress. The most significant carrier, BetP, is instantly activated in response to an increasing cytoplasmic K(+) concentration. Important...

The cell-integrity and stress-response MAP kinase pathways (CIP and SRP, respectively) are stimulated by various environmental stresses. Ssp1 kinase modulates actin dynamics and is rapidly recruited to the plasma membrane following osmotic stress. Here, we show that osmotic stress arrested tip growth, induced the deposition of abnormal cell-wall deposits at tips and led to disassociation of F-a...

Stress responses are of particular importance to microorganisms, because their habitats are subjected to continual changes in temperature, osmotic pressure, and nutrients availability. Stressors (and stress factors), may be of chemical, physical, or biological nature. While stress to microorganisms is frequently caused by the surrounding environment, the growth of microbial cells on its own may...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Different populations of the Mediterranean xerohalophyte species Atriplex halimus exhibit different levels of resistance to salt and osmotic stress depending on the nature of the osmocompatible solute they accumulate. There is, however, no conclusive description of the involvement of abscisic acid (ABA) in the plant response to NaCl or osmotic stress in this species. METHO...

The metabolic activity of articular chondrocytes is influenced by osmotic alterations that occur in articular cartilage secondary to mechanical load. The mechanisms that sense and transduce mechanical signals from cell swelling and initiate volume regulation are poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the expression of two putative osmolyte channels [transient recept...