AOX – a functional marker for efficient cell reprogramming under stress?

• Published in: Trends in plant science 2006-06, Vol.11 (6), p.281-287
• Main Authors: Arnholdt-Schmitt, Birgit, Costa, José H., de Melo, Dirce Fernandes
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arabidopsis Proteins - genetics; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Cycle Proteins - genetics; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetic Markers; Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins - genetics; Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins - metabolism; Mitochondrial Proteins; Oxidative Stress; Oxidoreductases - genetics; Plant physiology and development; Plant Proteins; Water and solutes. Absorption, translocation and permeability
• ISSN: 1360-1385; 1878-4372
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2006.05.001

Functional markers for stress tolerance can be used in plant breeding to identify genotypes with high yield stabilities under various conditions. Thus, a good marker should show a strong correlation with favourable adaptive plant behaviour. The efficient reprogramming of target cells for yield determination is currently considered to be the most important step towards defining abiotic stress tolerance. In this Opinion article, we propose a role for the alternative oxidase (AOX) gene as a marker for genetic variation in cell reprogramming and yield stability. Evidence to support this idea comes from the metabolic role of alternative respiration under stress, the link between AOX activity and differential growth, and the single nucleotide polymorphism recently observed in AOX genes. We propose an innovative, interdisciplinary and global research strategy for future experimentation on AOX genes that could have an application in plant breeding.