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Review
. 2020 Jul 29;9(8):681.
doi: 10.3390/antiox9080681.

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

Mirza Hasanuzzaman  1 , M H M Borhannuddin Bhuyan  2 , Faisal Zulfiqar  3 , Ali Raza  4 , Sayed Mohammad Mohsin  5   6 , Jubayer Al Mahmud  7 , Masayuki Fujita  5 , Vasileios Fotopoulos  8
Affiliations
Review

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

Mirza Hasanuzzaman et al. Antioxidants (Basel). .

Abstract

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.

Keywords: H2O2; abiotic stress; antioxidant systems; ascorbate-glutathione pathway; cross tolerance; oxidative stress; plant stress tolerance; reactive nitrogen species; reactive oxygen species; stress signaling.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Lewis dot structure of triplet oxygen and reactive oxygen species.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Types of reactive oxygen species in plants.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Localization and processes for the generation of ROS in plant cells (ROS, reactive oxygen species; H2O2, hydrogen peroxide; O2•−, superoxide anion; 1O2, singlet oxygen; •OH, hydroxyl radical; SOD, superoxide dismutase; UO, urate oxidase; XOD, xanthine oxidase; ETC, electron transport chain; PS I, photosystem I; PS II, photosystem II; NADPH, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Oxidative stress in plants and its consequences (ROS, reactive oxygen species; 1O2, singlet oxygen; O2•−, superoxide anion; H2O2, hydrogen peroxide; •OH, hydroxyl radical).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Overview of plant antioxidant defense system: (A) types of antioxidants and (B) combined mechanisms of enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidants. See the text for a more detailed description. APX, ascorbate peroxidase; AsA, ascorbate; CAT, catalase; DHA, dehydroascorbate; DHAR, dehydroascorbate reductase; GPX, glutathione peroxidase; GR, glutathione reductase; GSH, reduced glutathione; GSSG, oxidized glutathione; GST, glutathione S-transferase; H2O2, hydrogen peroxide; MDHA, monodehydroascorbate; MDHAR, monodehydroascorbate reductase; NADPH, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate; O2•−, superoxide anion; POX, peroxidases; PRX, peroxiredoxins; R, aliphatic, aromatic, or heterocyclic group; ROOH, hydroperoxides; –SH, thiolate; SOD, superoxide dismutase; –SOH, sulfenic acid; TRX, thioredoxin; X, sulfate, nitrite, or halide group.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Cross-talk among vital ROS (H2O2), RNS (NO), RSS (H2S), and RCS (MG) in plant cells for oxidative stress and defense response in plants. APX, ascorbate peroxidase; AUX, auxin; ET, ethylene; ABA, abscisic acid; ROS, reactive oxygen species; GSH, reduced glutathione; JA, jasmonates, MAPKs, mitogen-activated protein kinases; SA, salicylic acid; AEGs, advanced glycation end products; PAs, polyamines; MG, methylglyoxal; NO, nitric oxide; H2S, hydrogen sulfide. Dotted lines represent activation/enhancement.
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