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Ethylene Signal Transduction in Fruits and Flowers

  • Chapter
Plant Hormones

Abstract

Persons reading this book will appreciate that phytohormones have vital roles in assimilating many aspects of plant growth and development. While it is well established that hormonal action is regulated at the level of synthesis, many developmental processes are also regulated at the level of hormone perception (8). Sensitivity to hormones is regulated both spatially and temporally during growth and development. For example, adjacent cell layers respond differentially to hormones during organ abscission. Likewise, sensitivity of an organ can change over time as occurs during fruit ripening. How such alterations in hormone responses are regulated is not well understood. However, as the individual components of signaling pathways are identified, a basic understanding of hormone responsiveness is emerging. In the context of this article, the term “sensitivity” refers to the response of a tissue or organ to the hormone. A change in sensitivity indicates that the concentration of hormone that is able to initiate a set response is altered.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611-0690, USA

    Harry J. Klee & David G. Clark

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  1. Harry J. Klee
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  2. David G. Clark
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Correspondence to Harry J. Klee .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Plant Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    Peter J. Davies

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Klee, H.J., Clark, D.G. (2010). Ethylene Signal Transduction in Fruits and Flowers. In: Davies, P.J. (eds) Plant Hormones. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-2686-7_18

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