Plant acclimation to environmental stresses requires fast signaling to initiate changes in developmental and metabolic responses. Regulation of gene expression by transcription factors and protein kinases acting upstream are important elements of responses to salt and drought. Gene expression can be also controlled at the post-transcriptional level. Recent analyses on mutants in mRNA metabolism factors suggest their contribution to stress signaling. Here we highlight the components of mRNA decay pathways that contribute to responses to osmotic and salt stress. We hypothesize that phosphorylation state of proteins involved in mRNA decapping affect their substrate specificity.
Keywords: 5′→3′ exoribonucleases; Osmotic stress; P bodies; Posttranscriptional regulation; Protein phosphorylation; Salinity; SnRK2 kinases; mRNA decapping; mRNA decay; mRNA stability.