Revisiting the role of MAPK signalling pathway in plants and its manipulation for crop improvement

The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway is an important signalling event associated with every aspect of plant growth, development, yield, abiotic and biotic stress adaptation. Being a central metabolic pathway, it is a vital target for manipulation for crop improvement. In this review, we have summarised recent advancements in understanding involvement of MAPK signalling in modulating abiotic and biotic stress tolerance, architecture and yield of plants. MAPK signalling cross talks with reactive oxygen species (ROS) and abscisic acid (ABA) signalling events in bringing about abiotic stress adaptation in plants. The intricate involvement of MAPK pathway with plant's pathogen defence ability has also been identified. Further, recent research findings point towards participation of MAPK signalling in shaping plant architecture and yield. These make MAPK pathway an important target for crop improvement and we discuss here various strategies to tweak MAPK signalling components for designing future crops with improved physiology and phenotypes.

Automated summary

The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway is crucial for plant growth, development, and stress adaptation. This review summarizes recent advancements in understanding the roles of MAPK signaling in plant stress tolerance, architecture, and yield. MAPK signaling interacts with reactive oxygen species (ROS) and abscisic acid (ABA) signaling to modulate abiotic stress responses. Additionally, MAPK pathway plays an important role in plant pathogen defense and shaping plant architecture and yield. This makes MAPK pathway a valuable target for crop improvement, and various strategies to manipulate MAPK signaling components are discussed for designing future crops with enhanced physiology and phenotypes.