INTERORGANELLE COMMUNICATION IN PLANT STRESS ADAPTATION: MEMBRANE CONTACT SITES, RETROGRADE SIGNALING, AND METABOLIC REPROGRAMMING
Keywords:
Interorganelle communication, membrane contact sites, retrograde signaling, metabolic reprogramming, abiotic stress, plant stress resilience
Abstract
Environmental stress requires plants to communicate between chloroplasts, mitochondria, the endoplasmic reticulum, peroxisomes, vacuoles, and the nucleus in a well-coordinated manner to keep cells in homeostasis. In this review, the role of interorganelle communication, involving membrane contact sites, retrograde signaling and metabolic reprogramming processes, in plant stress adaptation is discussed. Membrane contact sites convey the exchange of lipids, ions, metabolites and signaling molecules, and retrograde pathways convey the status of organelle function to the nucleus and redirect gene expression. These processes are mediated by major molecular messengers, such as reactive oxygen species, redox signals, calcium, lipids, metabolites and phytohormones. Interorganelle crosstalk also drives coordinated adjustments in photosynthesis, respiration, photorespiration, carbon and nitrogen metabolism, membrane composition, antioxidant systems, and osmoprotective pathways. These responses are particularly important under drought, salinity, temperature extremes, high light, hypoxia, and combined stresses, where cellular energy and redox balance are frequently challenged. New technologies, such as live-cell imaging, genetically encoded biosensors, proximity labelling, organelle-resolved multi-omics and functional genomics, are advancing the spatial and temporal resolution of these networks. However, there are significant gaps in identification of plant-specific contact site components, signal specificity and field-level relevance. A systems-level understanding of organelle communication could help develop new approaches to engineering crops that are more metabolically flexible and resilient under increasingly variable environmental conditions without sacrificing growth, development, or productivity.
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References
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12.Chadee, A., Alber, N. A., Dahal, K., & Vanlerberghe, G. C. (2021). The complementary roles of chloroplast cyclic electron transport and mitochondrial alternative oxidase to ensure photosynthetic performance. Frontiers in Plant Science, 12, 748204.
13.Duckney, P. J., Wang, P., & Hussey, P. J. (2025). Plant NETWORKED and VAP27 proteins work in complexes to regulate membrane-based functions. Contact, 8, 25152564251342533.
14.Fernie, A. R., & Bauwe, H. (2020). Wasteful, essential, evolutionary stepping stone? The multiple personalities of the photorespiratory pathway. The Plant Journal, 102(4), 666-677.
15.Foyer, C. H., & Hanke, G. (2022). ROS production and signalling in chloroplasts: cornerstones and evolving concepts. The Plant Journal, 111(3), 642-661.
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19.He, C., Berkowitz, O., Hu, S., Zhao, Y., Qian, K., Shou, H., ... & Wang, Y. (2023). Co-regulation of mitochondrial and chloroplast function: Molecular components and mechanisms. Plant Communications, 4(1).
20.He, C., Liew, L. C., Yin, L., Lewsey, M. G., Whelan, J., & Berkowitz, O. (2022). The retrograde signaling regulator ANAC017 recruits the MKK9–MPK3/6, ethylene, and auxin signaling pathways to balance mitochondrial dysfunction with growth. The Plant Cell, 34(9), 3460-3481.
21.Hoh, D., Froehlich, J. E., & Kramer, D. M. (2024). Redox regulation in chloroplast thylakoid lumen: The pmf changes everything, again. Plant, Cell & Environment, 47(8), 2749-2765.
22.Horn, P. J., & Chapman, K. D. (2024). Imaging plant metabolism in situ. Journal of Experimental Botany, 75(6), 1654-1670.
23.Huercano, C., Moya-Barrientos, M., Cuevas, O., Sanchez-Vera, V., & Ruiz-Lopez, N. (2025). ER–plastid contact sites as molecular crossroads for plastid lipid biosynthesis. BMC biology, 23(1), 139.
24.Igamberdiev, A. U., & Bykova, N. V. (2023). Mitochondria in photosynthetic cells: Coordinating redox control and energy balance. Plant Physiology, 191(4), 2104-2119.
25.Jan, M., Liu, Z., Rochaix, J. D., & Sun, X. (2022). Retrograde and anterograde signaling in the crosstalk between chloroplast and nucleus. Frontiers in Plant Science, 13, 980237.
26.Jayawardhane, J., Cochrane, D. W., Vyas, P., Bykova, N. V., Vanlerberghe, G. C., & Igamberdiev, A. U. (2020). Roles for plant mitochondrial alternative oxidase under normoxia, hypoxia, and reoxygenation conditions. Frontiers in Plant Science, 11, 566.
27.Jiang, Z., van Zanten, M., & Sasidharan, R. (2025). Mechanisms of plant acclimation to multiple abiotic stresses. Communications Biology, 8(1), 655.
28.Kang, B. H., Anderson, C. T., Arimura, S. I., Bayer, E., Bezanilla, M., Botella, M. A., ... & Zolman, B. K. (2022). A glossary of plant cell structures: current insights and future questions. The Plant Cell, 34(1), 10-52.
29.Kavi Kishor, P. B., Suravajhala, P., Rathnagiri, P., & Sreenivasulu, N. (2022). Intriguing role of proline in redox potential conferring high temperature stress tolerance. Frontiers in Plant Science, 13, 867531.
30.Kim, H. U. (2020). Lipid metabolism in plants. Plants, 9(7), 871.
31.Kim, J. S., Mochida, K., & Shinozaki, K. (2022). ER stress and the unfolded protein response: homeostatic regulation coordinate plant survival and growth. Plants, 11(23), 3197.
32.Koenig, A. M., Liu, B., & Hu, J. (2023). Visualizing the dynamics of plant energy organelles. Biochemical Society Transactions, 51(6), 2029-2040.
33.Lee, K., & Kang, H. (2020). Roles of organellar RNA-binding proteins in plant growth, development, and abiotic stress responses. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21(12), 4548.
34.León, J., Castillo, M. C., & Gayubas, B. (2021). The hypoxia–reoxygenation stress in plants. Journal of Experimental Botany, 72(16), 5841-5856.
35.Li, T., Xiao, Z., Li, H., Liu, C., Shen, W., & Gao, C. (2020). A combinatorial reporter set to visualize the membrane contact sites between endoplasmic reticulum and other organelles in plant cell. Frontiers in Plant Science, 11, 1280.
36.Liu, X., Quan, W., & Bartels, D. (2022). Stress memory responses and seed priming correlate with drought tolerance in plants: An overview. Planta, 255(2), 45.
37.Liu, Y., Lv, Y., Wei, A., Guo, M., Li, Y., Wang, J., ... & Bao, Y. (2022). Unfolded protein response in balancing plant growth and stress tolerance. Frontiers in Plant Science, 13, 1019414.
38.Man, Y., Zhang, Y., Chen, L., Zhou, J., Bu, Y., Zhang, X., ... & Lin, J. (2024). The VAMP-associated protein VAP27-1 plays a crucial role in plant resistance to ER stress by modulating ER–PM contact architecture in Arabidopsis. Plant Communications, 5(7).
39.Mathur, J., Kunjumon, T. K., Mammone, A., & Mathur, N. (2023). Membrane contacts with the endoplasmic reticulum modulate plastid morphology and behaviour. Frontiers in Plant Science, 14, 1293906.
40.Mielecki, J., Gawroński, P., & Karpiński, S. (2020). Retrograde signaling: understanding the communication between organelles. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21(17), 6173.
41.Molina-Moya, E., Rodríguez-González, A., Peláez-Vico, M. A., Sandalio, L. M., & Romero-Puertas, M. C. (2025). Peroxisomal-dependent signalling and dynamics modulate plant stress responses: reactive oxygen and nitrogen species as key molecules. Journal of Experimental Botany, 76(13), 3706-3721.
42.Muhammad, I., Shalmani, A., Ali, M., Yang, Q. H., Ahmad, H., & Li, F. B. (2021). Mechanisms regulating the dynamics of photosynthesis under abiotic stresses. Frontiers in Plant Science, 11, 615942.
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Published
2026-08-25
How to Cite
Priya R. Nair, Arjun S. Menon, & Kavya P. Rao. (2026). INTERORGANELLE COMMUNICATION IN PLANT STRESS ADAPTATION: MEMBRANE CONTACT SITES, RETROGRADE SIGNALING, AND METABOLIC REPROGRAMMING. IJRDO - JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE, 12(3), 21-41. https://doi.org/10.69980/bs.v12i3.6811
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