Genetius

The authors used a bottom‑up thermodynamic modelling framework to investigate how plants decode calcium signals, starting from Ca2+ binding to EF‑hand proteins and extending to higher‑order decoding modules. They identified six universal Ca2+-decoding modules that can explain variations in calcium sensitivity among kinases and provide a theoretical basis for interpreting calcium signal amplitude and frequency in plant cells.

Using a microfluidic valve rootchip, the study simultaneously tracked ROS and calcium dynamics in compressed roots and found three kinetic phases linking mechanosensitive channel activity, NADPH oxidase‑dependent ROS accumulation, and secondary calcium influx. Pharmacological inhibition revealed that a fast calcium response is mediated by plasma‑membrane mechanosensitive channels, while a slower calcium increase is driven by ROS production.

The study examines how osmotic stress and cytosolic Ca²⁺ signaling regulate autophagy in plants by monitoring RFP‑ATG8i dynamics, revealing organ‑specific accumulation of autophagosomes. Co‑localization with the ER marker HDEL suggests ATG8i mediates ER‑phagy, implicating it in ER turnover during stress.

The study visualized subcellular dynamics after activation of the NRC4 resistosome, showing that membrane enrichment of NRC4 triggers calcium influx followed by sequential disruption of mitochondria, plastids, endoplasmic reticulum, and cytoskeleton. These events culminate in loss of plasma membrane integrity, nuclear shrinkage, and vacuolar collapse, outlining a detailed cascade of plant immune cell death.