Temperature regulation of plant hormone signaling during stress and development

Abstract

Abstract Global climate change has broad-ranging impacts on the natural environment and human civilization. Increasing average temperatures along with more frequent heat waves collectively have negative effects on cultivated crops in agricultural sectors and wild species in natural ecosystems. These aberrantly hot temperatures, together with cold stress, represent major abiotic stresses to plants. Molecular and physiological responses to high and low temperatures are intricately linked to the regulation of important plant hormones. In this review, we highlight our current understanding of how changing temperatures regulate plant hormone pathways during immunity, stress responses, and development. Here we present an overview of known temperature-sensitive or temperature-reinforced molecular hubs in hormone biosynthesis, homeostasis, signaling, and downstream responses. These include recent advances in temperature regulation at the genomic, transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and post-translational levels—directly linking some plant hormone pathways to known thermosensing mechanisms. Where applicable, diverse plant species and various temperature ranges are presented, along with emerging principles and themes. It is anticipated that a grand unifying synthesis of current and future fundamental outlooks on how fluctuating temperatures regulate important plant hormone signaling pathways can be leveraged towards forward-thinking solutions to develop climate-smart crops in our dynamically changing world.