Understanding CrRLK1L Function: Cell Walls and Growth Control

To develop successfully in an ever-changing environment, it is essential for plants to monitor and control their growth. Therefore, cell expansion is carefully regulated to establish correct cell shape and size. In this review, we explore the role of the Catharanthus roseus receptor-like kinase (CrRLK1L) subfamily as regulators of cell expansion. Recently, the downstream signalling events of individual CrRLK1L pathways were discovered, implicating known modulators of cell expansion, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, Ca2+ dynamics, and exocytosis of cell wall material. Based on these intriguing new insights, we propose a model for a common pathway of CrRLK1L signalling that enables spatial and temporal control of cell wall extensibility throughout the plant.

TrendsMembers of the RLK subfamily of CrRLK1Ls are emerging as key regulators of cell elongation throughout the plant.Individual CrRLK1Ls appear to recruit similar downstream pathway elements to control cell expansion in various developmental and environmental contexts, and recent discoveries highlight known modulators of cell expansion as central downstream elements of CrRLK1L signalling.Recent studies provide exciting descriptions of two CrRLK1L members, CAP1 and CVY1, which have not previously been studied in detail. The described functions of these CrRLK1Ls support the existence of a common growth-controlling CrRLK1L pathway.