Molecular mechanisms of boron-deficiency stress signaling in plants

硼是植物必需的微量元素。缺硼是制约全球作物生产的主要因素之一。然而，目前尚不清楚缺硼是如何导致各种代谢紊乱和细胞死亡的。为了解缺硼机制，本研究分析了缺硼后烟草细胞和拟南芥植株的生理变化。我们发现活性氧（ROS）在缺硼的细胞中积累，而这种ROS积累引起的氧化损伤是导致细胞死亡的主要和直接原因。我们还发现，植物细胞可以在剥夺硼后立即感知到硼从其外部培养基中消失。

Boron is an essential micronutrient for plants. Boron deficiency is one of the major constraints in crop production worldwide. However, it remains unclear how boron deficiency causes various metabolic disorders and cell death. To understand the mechanism, we analyzed the physiological changes in cultured tobacco cells and Arabidopsis plants upon boron deprivation. We found that reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulated in the cells deprived of boron, and oxidative damages caused by this ROS accumulation was the major and direct cause of cell death. We also found that plant cells could perceive the disappearance of boron from their external medium immediately after the deprivation.