ARResting cytokinin signaling for salt-stress tolerance

Abstract

Cytokinins (CKs) are primarily known as a prominent type of plant hormones with pleiotropic functions such as the control of the cell division and morphogenesis. CKs are also well known to orchestrate plant responses to many types of environmental stresses. More specifically, CKs were previously shown to negatively regulate the response to salinity stress. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this physiological process have not been investigated in detail. In a new report, Yan and colleagues show that salt stress interrupts the CK transduction pathway by promoting the degradation of some CK signaling modules. This represents an unprecedented advancement in our comprehension of how plants are able to inhibit their own development under stress conditions by interfering with the cell signaling circuitry of a growth hormone.