Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling cascade is highly conserved across the species triggering the self-adjustment of the cells by transmitting the external signals to the nucleus. The cascade consists of MAPK kinase kinases (MAPKKKs), MAPK kinases (MAPKKs) and MAPKs. These kinases are functionally interrelated through activation by sequential phosphorylation. MAPK cascade is involved in modulating the tolerance and regulating the growth and developmental processes in plants through transcriptional programming. The cascade has been well characterized in Arabidopsis, Tobacco and rice, but limited information is available in wheat due to complexity of genome. MAPK-based sensors have been reported to be highly specific for the external or intracellular stimuli activating specific TF, stress-associated genes (SAGs) and stress-associated proteins (SAPs) linked with heat-stress tolerance and other biological functions especially size, number and quality of grains. Even, MAPKs have been reported to influence the activity of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter superfamily involved in stabilizing the quality of the grains under adverse conditions. Wheat has also diverse network of MAPKs involved in transcriptional reprogramming upon sensing the terminal HS and in turn protect the plants. Current review mainly focuses on the role of MAPKs as signaling sensor and modulator of defense mechanism for mitigating the effect of heat on plants with focus on wheat. It also indirectly protects the nutrient depletion from the grains under heat stress. MAPKs, lying at pivotal positions, can be utilized for manipulating the heat-stress response (HSR) of wheat to develop plant for future (P4F).

丝裂原活化蛋白激酶 (MAPK) 信号级联在整个物种中高度保守，通过将外部信号传输到细胞核来触发细胞的自我调整。级联由 MAPK 激酶激酶 (MAPKKKs)、MAPK 激酶 (MAPKKs) 和 MAPKs 组成。这些激酶通过顺序磷酸化激活而在功能上相互关联。MAPK 级联通过转录编程参与调节植物的耐受性和调节生长和发育过程。该级联已在拟南芥、烟草和水稻中得到很好的表征，但由于基因组的复杂性，在小麦中可获得的信息有限。据报道，基于 MAPK 的传感器对激活特定 TF 的外部或细胞内刺激具有高度特异性，胁迫相关基因 (SAGs) 和胁迫相关蛋白 (SAPs) 与热胁迫耐受性和其他生物学功能相关，尤其是谷物的大小、数量和质量。甚至，据报道，MAPK 会影响 ATP 结合盒 (ABC) 转运蛋白超家族的活性，这些超家族涉及在不利条件下稳定谷物质量。小麦还具有多种 MAPK 网络，它们在感知末端 HS 时参与转录重编程，进而保护植物。目前的综述主要集中在 MAPK 作为信号传感器和防御机制调节剂的作用，以减轻热量对植物的影响，重点是小麦。它还间接地保护了谷物在热应激下的营养消耗。MAPK，位于关键位置，