Reactive Oxygen Species and Antioxidant Defense in Plants under Abiotic Stress: Revisiting the Crucial Role of a Universal Defense Regulator

• Published in: Antioxidants 2020-07, Vol.9 (8), p.681
• Main Authors: Hasanuzzaman, Mirza, Bhuyan, M.H.M., Zulfiqar, Faisal, Raza, Ali, Mohsin, Sayed, Mahmud, Jubayer, Fujita, Masayuki, Fotopoulos, Vasileios
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abiotic stress; Acclimation; antioxidant systems; Antioxidants; ascorbate-glutathione pathway; Carbonyl compounds; Carotenoids; Chloroplasts; Climate change; Crop yield; cross tolerance; Detoxification; Drought; Energy; Environmental conditions; Free radicals; H2O2; Health aspects; Heavy metals; Kinases; Mitochondria; Observations; Oxidative stress; Plant cells; Plant defenses; Plasma; Proteins; Reactive oxygen species; Review; Signal transduction; Sulfur; Waterlogging
• ISSN: 2076-3921; 2076-3921
• DOI: 10.3390/antiox9080681

Global climate change and associated adverse abiotic stress conditions, such as drought, salinity, heavy metals, waterlogging, extreme temperatures, oxygen deprivation, etc., greatly influence plant growth and development, ultimately affecting crop yield and quality, as well as agricultural sustainability in general. Plant cells produce oxygen radicals and their derivatives, so-called reactive oxygen species (ROS), during various processes associated with abiotic stress. Moreover, the generation of ROS is a fundamental process in higher plants and employs to transmit cellular signaling information in response to the changing environmental conditions. One of the most crucial consequences of abiotic stress is the disturbance of the equilibrium between the generation of ROS and antioxidant defense systems triggering the excessive accumulation of ROS and inducing oxidative stress in plants. Notably, the equilibrium between the detoxification and generation of ROS is maintained by both enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant defense systems under harsh environmental stresses. Although this field of research has attracted massive interest, it largely remains unexplored, and our understanding of ROS signaling remains poorly understood. In this review, we have documented the recent advancement illustrating the harmful effects of ROS, antioxidant defense system involved in ROS detoxification under different abiotic stresses, and molecular cross-talk with other important signal molecules such as reactive nitrogen, sulfur, and carbonyl species. In addition, state-of-the-art molecular approaches of ROS-mediated improvement in plant antioxidant defense during the acclimation process against abiotic stresses have also been discussed.