Calmodulin: Coping with biotic and abiotic stresses in soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.)
Ayyagari Ramlal,
Amooru Harika,
V Jayasri,
Sreeramanan Subramaniam,
Bingi Pujari Mallikarjuna,
Dhandapani Raju,
S K Lal,
Ambika Rajendran
Affiliations
Ayyagari Ramlal
School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia 11800; Division of Genetics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Pusa Campus, New Delhi, India 110012
Amooru Harika
Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, South Carolina, USA 29634
V Jayasri
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agriculture, Visva- Bharati University, Sriniketan, West Bengal, India 731236
Sreeramanan Subramaniam
School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia 11800; Chemical Centre Biology (CCB), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia 11900; Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia 60115
Bingi Pujari Mallikarjuna
Division of Genetics, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Regional Research Centre, Dharwad, Karnataka, India 580005
Dhandapani Raju
Division of Plant Physiology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, India 110012; Agriculture laboratory, Division of Plant Science & Technology, College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA 65211
S K Lal
Division of Genetics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Pusa Campus, New Delhi, India 110012
Ambika Rajendran
Division of Genetics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Pusa Campus, New Delhi, India 110012; Corresponding author.
Calcium is a ubiquitous and versatile secondary messenger that enables plant growth through various processes in response to abiotic and biotic stress factors. Plants are immobile and therefore constantly exposed to various environmental stimuli (drought, waterlogging, etc.) and microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses resulting in large crop losses. Calmodulin (CaM) is an evolutionarily conserved calcium-binding protein and sensor that occurs in all eukaryotes and performs various functions under stress. CaM-binding proteins (CBPs) such as transcription factors, enzymes and channels are involved in responses to environmental stress. Plants have evolved a sophisticated innate immune system to fight infections, commonly referred to as pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP)-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI). Soybean is an economically important legume crop that is constantly confronted with various pests and pathogens, resulting in significant yield and production losses. The article highlights the functions of calmodulin in soybean during biotic (soybean-microbe pathogenesis) and abiotic (soybean-environment) interactions in the light of currently available knowledge on the subject. It also describes the new paradigms in this field, emphasising the need for further investigation and providing up-to-date information on the most plausible approaches to combat this challenge for commercial use.
