Intracellular Ca 2+ controls various cellular functions, and local Ca 2+ dynamics are tightly regulated upon environmental cues. How cellular Ca 2+ balance is maintained during stress remains unresolved. Here, we identify an intracellular phosphoregulatory module comprising calcium-dependent protein kinase (CPK)–ER-type Ca 2+ -ATPases 1 (ECA1) that integrates Ca 2+ cyt flux with abscisic acid (ABA) homeostasis to modulate root growth under osmotic stress. Pharmacological and genetic disruption of ECA1-mediated Ca 2+ efflux triggered enhanced Ca 2+ cyt transients and ABA cyt , exacerbating root growth hypersensitivity to osmotic stress. Biochemical assays reveal that CPK2/6/11 directly bind and phosphorylate ECA1, enhancing its Ca 2+ -pumping activity to restore cytosolic Ca 2+ equilibrium and subsequently prevent ABA cyt overaccumulation. Genetic analysis shows that eca1cpk11 phenocopied eca1 hypersensitivity, while triple and quadruple mutants amplified osmotic sensitivity, demonstrating that CPKs and ECA1 function as a cooperative phosphoregulatory hub regulating Ca 2+ signaling and root growth. Our work resolves a critical gap by elucidating how plants couple ionic and hormonal messengers to balance plant growth and stress resilience.
Liang et al. (2025) studied this question.