Role of Calcium Signalling During Plant–
Herbivore Interaction
16
Amit Kumar, Ruby Panwar, Archana Singh, and
Indrakant Kumar Singh
Abstract
Plants and herbivores have co-evolved since long and plants have established
sophisticated defence mechanisms for their protection. Plant defence response
against herbivory involves activation of multiple signalling cascades due to
wound-induced change in ion concentration and rapid deviation in the membrane
potential (V m ). Amongst all the early events, Ca
2+ signalling is one of the most
crucial incidents that form a complex network with numerous components.
During stress, cytosolic Ca
2+ level upsurges due to Ca
2+ influx and Ca
2+ efflux
by Ca
2+ -ATPases and H
+
/Ca
2+ , respectively. This transient change in Ca
2+
concentration is identified by Ca
2+ -sensors [Ca
2+ -binding proteins such as calmodulin (CaM), CaM-related proteins (CML), calcineurin B-like proteins
(CBL)], which relay the signal by stimulating calcium dependent protein kinases
(CDPKs). Further, these CDPKs regulate the downstream processes involved in
plant defence mechanism. Herbivory not only triggers local Ca
2+ signals, rather it
also fluctuates systemic Ca
2+ levels, which plays a significant role in systemic
plant defence. The present chapter highlights the recent advancements in early
signalling events during plant–herbivore interaction with special emphasis on Ca
2
+ signalling, Ca
2+ channels, Ca
2+ -sensors, and Ca
2+ -responders.
A. Kumar · R. Panwar · A. Singh (*)
Department of Botany, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
e-mail: archanasingh@hrc.du.ac.in
I. K. Singh (*)
Molecular Biology Research Lab, Department of Zoology, Deshbandhu College, University of
Delhi, New Delhi, India
e-mail: iksingh@db.du.ac.in
# The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte
Ltd. 2020
B. Giri, M. P. Sharma (eds.), Plant Stress Biology,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9380-2_16
491
Herbivore Interaction
16
Amit Kumar, Ruby Panwar, Archana Singh, and
Indrakant Kumar Singh
Abstract
Plants and herbivores have co-evolved since long and plants have established
sophisticated defence mechanisms for their protection. Plant defence response
against herbivory involves activation of multiple signalling cascades due to
wound-induced change in ion concentration and rapid deviation in the membrane
potential (V m ). Amongst all the early events, Ca
2+ signalling is one of the most
crucial incidents that form a complex network with numerous components.
During stress, cytosolic Ca
2+ level upsurges due to Ca
2+ influx and Ca
2+ efflux
by Ca
2+ -ATPases and H
+
/Ca
2+ , respectively. This transient change in Ca
2+
concentration is identified by Ca
2+ -sensors [Ca
2+ -binding proteins such as calmodulin (CaM), CaM-related proteins (CML), calcineurin B-like proteins
(CBL)], which relay the signal by stimulating calcium dependent protein kinases
(CDPKs). Further, these CDPKs regulate the downstream processes involved in
plant defence mechanism. Herbivory not only triggers local Ca
2+ signals, rather it
also fluctuates systemic Ca
2+ levels, which plays a significant role in systemic
plant defence. The present chapter highlights the recent advancements in early
signalling events during plant–herbivore interaction with special emphasis on Ca
2
+ signalling, Ca
2+ channels, Ca
2+ -sensors, and Ca
2+ -responders.
A. Kumar · R. Panwar · A. Singh (*)
Department of Botany, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
e-mail: archanasingh@hrc.du.ac.in
I. K. Singh (*)
Molecular Biology Research Lab, Department of Zoology, Deshbandhu College, University of
Delhi, New Delhi, India
e-mail: iksingh@db.du.ac.in
# The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte
Ltd. 2020
B. Giri, M. P. Sharma (eds.), Plant Stress Biology,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9380-2_16
491