Plant glutamate receptor-like (GLR) genes encode ion channels with demonstrated roles in electrical and calcium (Ca2+) signaling. The expansion of the GLR family along the lineage of land plants, culminating in the appearance of a multiclade system among flowering plants, has been a topic of interest since their discovery nearly 25 years ago. GLRs are involved in many physiological processes, from wound signaling to transcriptional regulation to sexual reproduction. Emerging evidence supports the notion that their fundamental functions are conserved among different groups of plants as well. In this review, we update the physiological and genetic evidence for GLRs, establishing their role in signaling and cell–cell communication. Special emphasis is given to the recent discussion of GLRs’ atomic structures. Along with functional assays, a structural view of GLRs’ molecular organization presents a window for novel hypotheses regarding the molecular mechanisms underpinning signaling associated with the ionic fluxes that GLRs regulate. Newly uncovered transcriptional regulations associated with GLRs—which propose the involvement of genes from all clades of Arabidopsis thaliana in ways not previously observed—are discussed in the context of the broader impacts of GLR activity. We posit that the functions of GLRs in plant biology are probably much broader than anticipated, but describing their widespread involvement will only be possible with ( a) a comprehensive understanding of the channel's properties at the molecular and structural levels, including protein–protein interactions, and ( b) the design of new genetic approaches to explore stress and pathogen responses where precise transcriptional control may result in more precise testable hypotheses to overcome their apparent functional redundancies.

中文翻译：

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将信号传导与结构融合：植物谷氨酸受体离子通道的功能和机制

植物谷氨酸受体样 (GLR) 基因编码离子通道，在电和钙 (Ca2+) 信号。 GLR家族沿着陆地植物谱系的扩展，最终导致开花植物中多分支系统的出现，自近25年前被发现以来一直是人们感兴趣的话题。 GLR 参与许多生理过程，从伤口信号传导到转录调节再到有性生殖。新出现的证据支持这样的观点，即它们的基本功能在不同植物类群中也是保守的。在这篇综述中，我们更新了 GLR 的生理和遗传证据，确立了它们在信号传导和细胞间通讯中的作用。特别强调最近对 GLR 原子结构的讨论。除了功能测定之外，GLR 分子组织的结构视图为有关支持与 GLR 调节的离子通量相关的信号传导的分子机制的新假设提供了一个窗口。新发现的与 GLR 相关的转录调控——提出拟南芥所有分支的基因以以前未观察到的方式参与——在 GLR 活性的更广泛影响的背景下进行了讨论。我们认为 GLR 在植物生物学中的功能可能比预期的要广泛得多，但只有在以下情况下才能描述它们的广泛参与：（a）在分子和结构水平上全面了解通道的特性，包括蛋白质与蛋白质的相互作用， (b) 设计新的遗传方法来探索应激和病原体反应，其中精确的转录控制可能会产生更精确的可测试假设，以克服其明显的功能冗余。