Plants use cell-damaging molecules as hormone messengers
Shi W, Wang L, Liu W, Bai MY
Plant Signaling
The tomato plant wilting in a heat wave or the seedling stretching toward a window is running on this exact chemistry, where stress molecules and growth hormones argue over whether to grow now or hunker down.
Plants make reactive oxygen species, the same unstable molecules that can damage cells, but instead of just causing harm, plants have learned to use them as chemical signals. These molecules chemically tweak the plant's hormone system, turning growth up or down depending on conditions like drought or heat, and the hormones send signals back that adjust how much of these reactive molecules the plant makes. Scientists think tuning this feedback loop precisely could lead to crops that grow well and survive tough conditions better.
Key Findings
ROS chemically modify core signaling components, biosynthetic enzymes, and transport proteins across every major phytohormone pathway, not just one or two.
The regulation runs both directions: phytohormones also actively adjust ROS levels to balance plant growth against stress tolerance.
The review identifies specific redox-sensitive molecular nodes as targets for precision gene editing in crop breeding.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Plants use bursts of reactive oxygen molecules as a signaling system that talks directly to their growth hormones, letting them fine-tune growth versus stress defense in real time. Understanding this molecular conversation could help breeders design crops that yield more while handling drought, heat, or disease better.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Reactive Oxygen Species and Phytohormone Signalling: Redox Modifications Shaping Plant Growth and Stress Acclimation.
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and phytohormones are essential components of a precisely coordinated signalling network that regulates plant growth, development and adaptation to environmental chang...
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Crop-improvement refers to the systematic enhancement of plant varieties through selective breeding, genetic modification, and biotechnological approaches to develop cultivars with superior agronomic, nutritional, or environmental traits. This field is essential for addressing global food security,
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