Vorsicht, Verwundung! Reizweiterleitung mit mechanosensitiven Proteinen

Being sessile, plants are exposed to adverse stresses, including wounding by insects. Albeit lacking experimental evidence, one hypothesis predicted involvement of hydro-electric signals in wound signaling. Now, we could show that the mechanosensitive anion channel MSL10 is necessary for wound-induced long-distance signaling in plants. By linking mechano-sensing, ion fluxes, membrane depolarization and electrical signal propagation, MSL10 might integrate hydraulic and electric wound signals.