JXB Advance Access originally published online on December 12, 2003
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Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol. 55, No. 395, pp. 147-149, January 1, 2004
© 2004 Oxford University Press
Crosstalk in Plant Signal Transduction Special Issue |
Signalling crosstalk in plants: emerging issues
Received 31 October 2003; Accepted 11 November 2003
Department of Biological Sciences, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Fax: +44 (0)1524 843854. E-mail: j.e.taylor{at}lancaster.ac.uk
The Oxford English Dictionary defines crosstalk as unwanted transfer of signals between communication channels. How does this definition relate to the way in which we view the organization and function of signalling pathways? Recent advances in the field of plant signalling have challenged the traditional view of a signalling transduction cascade as isolated linear pathways. Instead the picture emerging of the mechanisms by which plants transduce environmental signals is of the interaction between transduction chains. The manner in which these interactions occur (and indeed whether the transfer of these signals is unwanted or beneficial) is currently the topic of intense research.
Key words: Crosstalk, plant signalling, transduction chains.