A molecular perspective on the role of FERONIA in root growth, nutrient uptake, stress sensing and microbiome assembly

Roots perform multifaceted functions in plants such as movement of nutrients and water, sensing stressors, shaping microbiome, and providing structural support. How roots perceive and respond above traits at the molecular level remains largely unknown. Despite the enormous advancements in crop improvement, the majority of recent efforts have concentrated on above-ground traits leaving significant knowledge gaps in root biology. Also, studying root system architecture (RSA) is more difficult due to its intricacy and the difficulties of observing them during plant life cycle which has made it difficult to identify desired root traits for the crop improvement. However, with the aid of high-throughput phenotyping and genotyping tools many developmental and stress-mediated regulation of RSA has emerged in both model and crop plants leading to new insights in root biology. Our current understanding of upstream signaling events (cell wall, apoplast) in roots and how they are interconnected with downstream signaling cascades has largely been constrained by the fact that most research in plant systems concentrate on cytosolic signal transduction pathways while ignoring the early perception by cells' exterior parts. In this regard, we discussed the role of FERONIA (FER) a cell wall receptor-like kinase (RLK) which acts as a sensor and a bridge between apoplast and cytosolic signaling pathways in root biology.