Emerging Roles of Receptor-like Protein Kinases in Plant Response to Abiotic Stresses

The productivity of plants is hindered by unfavorable conditions. To perceive stress signals and to transduce these signals to intracellular responses, plants rely on membrane-bound receptor-like kinases (RLKs). These play a pivotal role in signaling events governing growth, reproduction, hormone perception, and defense responses against biotic stresses; however, their involvement in abiotic stress responses is poorly documented. Plant RLKs harbor an N-terminal extracellular domain, a transmembrane domain, and a C-terminal intracellular kinase domain. The ectodomains of these RLKs are quite diverse, aiding their responses to various stimuli. We summarize here the sub-classes of RLKs based on their domain structure and discuss the available information on their specific role in abiotic stress adaptation. Furthermore, the current state of knowledge on RLKs and their significance in abiotic stress responses is highlighted in this review, shedding light on their role in influencing plant-environment interactions and opening up possibilities for novel approaches to engineer stress-tolerant crop varieties.

Automated summary

Plants rely on membrane-bound receptor-like kinases (RLKs) to perceive and respond to stress signals. While they play a crucial role in growth, reproduction, hormone perception, and defense responses against biotic stresses, their involvement in abiotic stress responses is not well-documented. This review summarizes the sub-classes of RLKs based on their domain structure and discusses their specific role in abiotic stress adaptation. The importance of RLKs in abiotic stress responses and their potential for engineering stress-tolerant crop varieties are highlighted.