Tango between Ethylene and HSFA2 Settles Heat Tolerance

The phytohormone ethylene has roles in senescence, fruit ripening, and biotic and abiotic stress responses. However, the detailed mechanism(s) by which ethylene affects the plant heat stress response (HSR) is not well understood. Two recent studies by Huang et al . and Shekhawat et al . now reveal that ethylene signaling converges on HSFA2 to bring about heat stress (HS) tolerance in plants.