Thermomemory in shoot apical meristem: Regulation of carbohydrate metabolism and stem cell identity

Abstract

Adaptation to the environment is essential for sessile organisms, such as plants, as they cannot move away from adverse conditions. Heat stress (HS) is one of the most serious environmental stresses in terms of its effect on crop growth and yield, especially in this era of global warming. Therefore, research on heat responses and acclimation in plants is becoming increasingly important. Plants have evolved complex systems to respond to HS for their survival. In general, heat shock transcription factors (Hsfs) are involved in the acquisition of thermotolerance, through regulation of the expression of genes encoding the heat shock proteins (HSPs) that function as molecular chaperones protecting cells from HS (von Koskull-Döring et al., 2007; Richter et al., 2010).