From Receptor-Like Kinases to Calcium Spikes： What Are the Missing Links？

As sessile organisms, plants have evolved with complex signaling networks to cope with the constantly changing environment. Receptor-like kinases （RLKs） and calcium both play important roles during the early stage of envi- ronmental responses in plants. RLKs are trans-membrane receptor kinases that sense extracellular signals, such as hormones, peptides, and pathogens, and trigger sig- nal transduction pathways leading to cellular responses （Osakabe et al., 2013）.