What is it about?
Cells use surface receptor proteins to sense signals that regulate growth. This study found that two different receptors pair up to form a complex, enabling the cell division that produces woody tissue. It was previously known that when receptors bind a signal it can lead to formation of protein complexes, but generally these complexes form with other protein types. However, here, two receptor proteins that bind completely different signals were found together in a complex. This may offer fresh insight into how plants coordinate key biological processes.
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Photo by Bioscience Image Library by Fayette Reynolds on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Wood is a globally significant carbon sink and a renewable source of biomaterials. By understanding how wood forms, we may be able to manipulate it to maximise carbon capture and increase forest productivity.
Perspectives
Work on this project was a real pleasure in three ways. Firstly, because we hadn't really expected the two receptors to form a complex, so it was a real surprise when we found that they did. It is always great when science surprises you. Second, it raises many questions for future research around how the complex coordinates signal transduction, so we are excited to follow this work up. Thirdly, we couldn't have done it without collaboration. We could call on skills and expertise from across the globe and it was fantastic to work with such talented and knowledgeable co-authors.
Peter Etchells
Durham University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: A receptor kinase complex refines cambium activity in
Arabidopsis, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, June 2026, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2532481123.
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