Ethylene Signaling and Plant Growth Regulation

Ethylene is a simple gaseous phytohormone that orchestrates diverse aspects of plant development, stress adaptation and yield formation. Biosynthesis commences from methionine via 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid, and perception occurs through a family of membrane-bound receptors located at the endoplasmic reticulum. In the absence of ethylene, these receptors activate the Raf-like kinase CTR1, which inhibits downstream signalling. Binding of ethylene to its receptors releases CTR1 repression, allowing the endoplasmic reticulum protein EIN2 to activate a cascade culminating in the stabilisation of EIN3/EIL transcription factors in the nucleus. These master regulators, together with ethylene response factors, modulate gene networks that control seedling morphology, root and shoot growth, fruit ripening and interactions with other hormones. Ethylene signalling is finely tuned by feedback loops, subcellular trafficking and cross-talk with auxin, abscisic acid and other phytohormones. Understanding this pathway is critical for manipulating plant architecture, enhancing stress tolerance and improving crop performance under changing environmental conditions.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have shown that ethylene prompts the relocation of CTR1 from the endoplasmic reticulum to the nucleus, where it binds EIN3-BINDING F-box proteins and thereby stabilises the EIN3 transcription factor. This nuclear-targeted CTR1 prolongs the ethylene response and delays growth recovery once the hormone is removed. Arabidopsis lines engineered to enhance CTR1 nuclear localisation exhibit improved tolerance to drought and salinity, uncovering a spatial control mechanism that links signal transduction dynamics with physiological adaptation.

Ethylene Signaling and Plant Growth Regulation publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in ethylene signaling and plant growth regulation across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Phytohormone: A naturally occurring plant hormone that regulates growth, development and responses to environmental cues.

CTR1: A Raf-like protein kinase that acts as a negative regulator of ethylene signalling in the absence of ethylene.

EIN3: A master transcription factor that activates ethylene-responsive gene expression following signal perception.

Transcription factor: A protein that recognises specific DNA sequences to regulate the transcription of target genes.

Crown root: A root type arising from stem nodes, essential for anchorage and nutrient uptake in monocot crops.

References

1. Ethylene-triggered subcellular trafficking of CTR1 enhances the response to ethylene gas. Nature Communications (2023).
2. The OsEIL1–OsWOX11 transcription factor module controls rice crown root development in response to soil compaction. The Plant Cell (2024).
3. CRISPR/Cas9‐mediated mutation of Eil1 transcription factor genes affects exogenous ethylene tolerance and early flower senescence in Campanula portenschlagiana. Plant Biotechnology Journal (2023).
4. Ethylene signaling in plants. Journal of Biological Chemistry (2020).