Two-component signal transduction pathways in Arabidopsis

The two-component system, consisting of a histidine (His) protein kinase that senses a signal input and a response regulator that mediates the Output, is an ancient and evolutionarily conserved signaling mechanism in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The identification of 54 His protein kinases, His-containing phosphotransfer proteins, response regulators, and related proteins in Arabidopsis suggests an important role of two-component phosphorelay in plant signal transduction. Recent studies indicate that two-component elements are involved in plant hormone, stress, and light signaling. In this review, we present a genome analysis of the Arabidopsis two-component elements and summarize the major advances in our understanding of Arabidopsis two-component signaling.