Abstract
Plant cells are equipped with a collection of membrane surface molecular "antennas" specifically sensitive to different signals. They are mostly represented by hundreds of receptor-like kinases (RKs): about 600 encoded in the Arabidopsis genome (1), which allow plants to react swiftly to signals related to the progress of their own ontogeny (intercellular communication) and also to environmental changes, including stress situations or pathogen attack.
Such surface alertness is especially important for sessile organisms bound to be born and die at the same single spot. Not surprisingly, study of plant RK regulation is among the most important current fields of plant research.