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Initially identified as a key regulator of female fertility in Arabidopsis, the FERONIA (FER) receptor kinase is now recognized as crucial for almost all aspects of plant growth and survival. FER partners with a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein of the LLG family to act as coreceptors on the cell surface. The FER-LLG coreceptor interacts with different RAPID ALKALINIZATION FACTOR (RALF) peptide ligands to function in various growth and developmental processes and to respond to challenges from the environment. The RALF-FER-LLG signaling modules interact with molecules in the cell wall, cell membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus and mediate an interwoven signaling network. Multiple FER-LLG modules, each anchored by FER or a FER-related receptor kinase, have been studied, illustrating the functional diversity and the mechanistic complexity of the FER family signaling modules. The challenges going forward are to distill from this complexity the unifying schemes where possible and attain precision and refinement in the knowledge of critical details upon which future investigations can be built. By focusing on the extensively characterized FER, this review provides foundational information to guide the next phase of research on FER in model as well as crop species and potential applications for improving plant growth and resilience.

Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Plant Biology, Volume 75 is May 2024. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

 

In deciphering the global signaling capacity of FERONIA receptor kinase, Liu, Yeh, et al. discovered an extracellular phase separation process driven by FERONIA peptide ligand RALF-cell wall polysaccharide pectin interaction, which leads to cognate and non-cognate receptor clustering and promiscuous endocytosis as a coping mechanism in response to environmental stressors. Highlights Cell surface pectin-RALF1 phase separation recruits FERONIA-LLG1 into condensates RALF induces FERONIA-LLG1-dependent promiscuous receptor clustering and endocytosis RALF1-pectin molecular condensates function as surface sensors for stress signals FERONIA-LLG1-mediated global endocytosis ensures plant resilience under stress 

Sexual reproduction in angiosperms relies on precise communications between the pollen and pistil. The molecular mechanisms underlying these communications remain elusive. We established that in Arabidopsis , a stigmatic gatekeeper, the ANJEA–FERONIA (ANJ–FER) receptor kinase complex, perceives the RAPID ALKALINIZATION FACTOR peptides RALF23 and RALF33 to induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in the stigma papillae, whereas pollination reduces stigmatic ROS, allowing pollen hydration. Upon pollination, the POLLEN COAT PROTEIN B-class peptides (PCP-Bs) compete with RALF23/33 for binding to the ANJ–FER complex, leading to a decline of stigmatic ROS that facilitates pollen hydration. Our results elucidate a molecular gating mechanism in which distinct peptide classes from pollen compete with stigma peptides for interaction with a stigmatic receptor kinase complex, allowing the pollen to hydrate and germinate.