Dissecting calcium signalling in basal land plants

Plants need to respond to the environment in order to adapt and grow. Plants often modify the
concentration of calcium ions in their cells in response to different environmental stimuli and
stresses [1]. These changes in cellular calcium concentration trigger many downstream
responses, including re-programming of gene expression. Calcium signalling pathways are
therefore essential for plants to respond and adapt to environmental stimuli and stresses.
Higher plants, such as the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, have extensive networks of
proteins associated with calcium signalling pathways, and traditional genetic studies have
identified mutants in components of these pathways. However, genetic redundancy is often
observed and this has hindered further study of these signalling pathways. Recent genomic
analyses have revealed that the gene families encoding components of calcium signalling
pathways are considerably smaller in basal land plant species, e.g. the liverwort Marchantia
polymorpha [3]. The study of these pathways in basal land plants will therefore offer unique
insights and understandings into calcium signalling pathways in higher plants, and may identify
new potential targets that could be manipulated to improve stress tolerance in crop species.