FERONIA orchestrates plasma membrane nanoclusters for plant thermotolerance
Summary
Climate warming poses increasing thermal challenges to plants, yet how plasma membrane biophysics contributes to heat adaptation remains poorly understood. In this work, we showed that the malectin-like receptor kinase FERONIA (FER) acts as a membrane-anchored thermal switch in Arabidopsis. FER organizes sterol-dependent nanoclusters that control heat acclimation. Moderate heat activated FER through the RAPID ALKALINIZATION FACTOR 34 (RALF34) peptide and promoted its recruitment to sterol-
Content
# FERONIA orchestrates plasma membrane nanoclusters for plant thermotolerance
*Published: 2026 May 21*
Climate warming poses increasing thermal challenges to plants, yet how plasma
membrane biophysics contributes to heat adaptation remains poorly understood. In
this work, we showed that the malectin-like receptor kinase FERONIA (FER) acts
as a membrane-anchored thermal switch in Arabidopsis. FER organizes
sterol-dependent nanoclusters that control heat acclimation. Moderate heat
activated FER through the RAPID ALKALINIZATION FACTOR 34 (RALF34) peptide and
promoted its recruitment to sterol-rich nanodomains. There, FER nucleated
dynamic nanoclusters enriched in stress-signaling components. These nanoclusters
stabilized liquid-ordered membrane phases and activated heat shock transcription
factor-heat shock protein signaling, enhancing thermotolerance. However, under
extreme heat the nanoclusters rapidly disassembled, preventing maladaptive
responses. Our findings thus establish nanoscale membrane compartmentalization
as a key mechanism linking lipid dynamics to plant thermal resilience.
DOI: 10.1126/science.aeb1752