Premium
Plant sugars are crucial players in the oxidative challenge during abiotic stress: extending the traditional concept
Author(s) -
KEUNEN ELS,
PESHEV DARIN,
VANGRONSVELD JACO,
VAN DEN ENDE WIM,
CUYPERS ANN
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
plant, cell and environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.646
H-Index - 200
eISSN - 1365-3040
pISSN - 0140-7791
DOI - 10.1111/pce.12061
Subject(s) - abiotic stress , reactive oxygen species , abiotic component , oxidative stress , biology , organism , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , chemistry , ecology , paleontology , gene
Abstract Plants suffering from abiotic stress are commonly facing an enhanced accumulation of reactive oxygen species ( ROS ) with damaging as well as signalling effects at organellar and cellular levels. The outcome of an environmental challenge highly depends on the delicate balance between ROS production and scavenging by both enzymatic and metabolic antioxidants. However, this traditional classification is in need of renewal and reform, as it is becoming increasingly clear that soluble sugars such as disaccharides, raffinose family oligosaccharides and fructans – next to their associated metabolic enzymes – are strongly related to stress‐induced ROS accumulation in plants. Therefore, this review aims at extending the current concept of antioxidants functioning during abiotic stress, with special focus on the emanate role of sugars as true ROS scavengers. Examples are given based on their cellular location, as different organelles seem to exploit distinct mechanisms. Moreover, the vacuole comes into the picture as important player in the ROS signalling network of plants. Elucidating the interplay between the mechanisms controlling ROS signalling during abiotic stress will facilitate the development of strategies to enhance crop tolerance to stressful environmental conditions.