Rice ethylene receptors OsERS1/2 function as Ca2+-permeable channels mediating calcium-dependent antagonism of ethylene-induced root growth inhibition.
Ye Z, Yang Z, Li C, Chen Y, Yu E
Plant Signaling
Rice paddy roots growing through waterlogged soil now turn out to use a built-in calcium 'volume knob' on the same proteins that sense ripening signals — a discovery that could one day help breeders grow rice with stronger roots on less fertilizer.
Plants use a hormone called ethylene to slow down root growth, and they also use calcium as an internal signal for all kinds of processes. Researchers found that in rice, the same protein that detects ethylene can also let calcium flow into cells like a tiny gate — two jobs in one molecule, which no one expected. Disabling these proteins stops rice roots from responding to extra calcium, proving both roles are real and work together.
Key Findings
Rice ethylene receptors OsERS1 and OsERS2 physically function as calcium-permeable ion channels, not just as hormone sensors.
OsERS1 channel activity depends on two assembly sites (Cys4 and Cys6), which are structurally separate from the ethylene-binding site (Cys65), demonstrating the two functions are molecularly independent.
Loss-of-function mutants lacking OsERS1/2 fail to show the calcium-dependent antagonism of ethylene-induced root growth inhibition, confirming both receptors are required for this regulatory mechanism.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists discovered that rice root-growth proteins, long known as ethylene hormone receptors, also function as calcium ion channels — a completely unexpected dual role that helps rice fine-tune how fast its roots grow.
Abstract Preview
Rice (Oryza sativa), a staple food for over half of the global population and a model cereal, has evolved unique physiological mechanisms to adapt to its semi-aquatic environment, in which root dev...
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