Abiotic stress‐induced anthocyanins in plants: Their role in tolerance to abiotic stresses

Abiotic stresses, such as heat, drought, salinity, low temperature, and heavy metals, inhibit plant growth and reduce crop productivity. Abiotic stresses are becoming increasingly extreme worldwide due to the ongoing deterioration of the global climate and the increase in agrochemical utilization an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physiologia plantarum 2021-07, Vol.172 (3), p.1711-1723
Main Authors: Naing, Aung Htay, Kim, Chang Kil
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abiotic stress
Agrochemicals
Anthocyanins
Antioxidants
Biosynthesis
Crop production
Drought
Genes
Global climate
Heavy metals
Low temperature
Molecular modelling
Plant growth
Reactive oxygen species
Reviews
Scavenging
Signaling
Stress response
Stresses
Transcription
Transgenic plants
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Summary:Abiotic stresses, such as heat, drought, salinity, low temperature, and heavy metals, inhibit plant growth and reduce crop productivity. Abiotic stresses are becoming increasingly extreme worldwide due to the ongoing deterioration of the global climate and the increase in agrochemical utilization and industrialization. Plants grown in fields are affected by one or more abiotic stresses. The consequent stress response of plants induces reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are then used as signaling molecules to activate stress‐tolerance mechanism. However, under extreme stress conditions, ROS are overproduced and cause oxidative damage to plants. In such conditions, plants produce anthocyanins after ROS signaling via the transcription of anthocyanin biosynthesis genes. These anthocyanins are then utilized in antioxidant activities by scavenging excess ROS for their sustainability. In this review, we discuss the physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms underlying abiotic stress‐induced anthocyanins in plants and their role in abiotic stress tolerance. In addition, we highlight the current progress in the development of anthocyanin‐enriched transgenic plants and their ability to increase abiotic stress tolerance. Overall, this review provides valuable information that increases our understanding of the mechanisms by which anthocyanins respond to abiotic stress and protect plants against it. This review also provides practical guidance for plant biologists who are engineering stress‐tolerant crops using anthocyanin biosynthesis or regulatory genes.
ISSN:0031-9317
1399-3054
DOI:10.1111/ppl.13373