Regulation of physiological aspects in plants by hydrogen sulfide and nitric oxide under challenging environment

Abstract

Plants are exposed to a plethora of abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, heavy metal and temperature stresses at different stages of their life cycle, from germination to seedling till the reproductive phase. As protective mechanisms, plants release signaling molecules that initiate a cascade of stress‐signaling events, leading either to programmed cell death or plant acclimation. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and nitric oxide (NO) are considered as new ‘gasotransmitter’ molecules that play key roles in regulating gene expression, posttranslational modification (PTM), as well as cross‐talk with other hormones. Although the exact role of NO in plants remains unclear and is species dependent, various studies have suggested a positive correlation between NO accumulation and environmental stress in plants. These molecules are also involved in a large array of stress responses and act synergistically or antagonistically as signaling components, depending on their respective concentration. This study provides a comprehensive update on the signaling interplay between H2S and NO in the regulation of various physiological processes under multiple abiotic stresses, modes of action and effects of exogenous application of these two molecules under drought, salt, heat and heavy metal stresses. However, the complete picture of the signaling cascades mediated by H2S and NO is still elusive. Recent researches indicate that during certain plant processes, such as stomatal closure, H2S could act upstream of NO signaling or downstream of NO in response to abiotic stresses by improving antioxidant activity in most plant species. In addition, PTMs of antioxidative pathways by these two molecules are also discussed.

Nitric Oxide and Hydrogen Sulfide Coordinately Reduce Glucose Sensitivity and Decrease Oxidative Stress via Ascorbate-Glutathione Cycle in Heat-Stressed Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Plants

“…The concentration of chemicals was determined based on the study of Kaya et al [25]. They were applied on HS and non-stressed plants at 15 DAS together with surfactant teepol (0.5%).…”

Hydrogen sulfide and nitric oxide signal integration and plant development under stressed/non‐stressed conditions

“…Rai et al (2019) have given an overview of NO and salicylic acid signaling towards acquired heat tolerance in plants. Paul and Roychoudhury (2019), Pandey and Gautam (2019) Research articles have covered diverse new roles of H 2 S and NO in regulating abiotic stress in plants. Kushwaha and Singh (2019) and Ahmad et al (2019) have reported various mechanisms through which H 2 S regulates chromium toxicity in crop plants.…”

“…Rai et al () have given an overview of NO and salicylic acid signaling towards acquired heat tolerance in plants. Paul and Roychoudhury (), Pandey and Gautam () and Singh et al (2019) have covered exhaustive current roles of H 2 S and NO in plants under changing environmental conditions. Finally, Sharma et al () and Shivaraj et al () have discussed molecular mechanisms and crosstalk of NO and H 2 S in metal stress tolerance.…”

The effects of seed priming with sodium hydrosulphide on drought tolerance of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) in germination and early growth

“…All living organisms have a series of pathways to combat environmental stress (Capaldi, Gratão, Reis, Lima, & Azevedo, 2015). Regarding plant responses to environmental stresses and obvious climate changes, many scientists consider drought as the most important threat to crop production worldwide (Balestrini, Chitarra, Antoniou, Ruocco, & Fotopoulos, 2018; Farooq, Hussain, Wahid, & Siddique, 2012; Farooq, Wahid, Kobayashi, Fujita, & Basra, 2009; Fotopoulos, Christou, & Manganaris, 2013; Li, Min, & Zhou, 2016; Paul & Roychoudhury, 2019). It has been estimated that drought causes more than 50% yield reduction in crops (Bukhari et al, 2019), and the damage exerted by water stress is translated into important loss in amount and quality of crop yield.…”

“…This gasotransmitter has been deeply studied in recent years and the emerging data has changed the concept of H 2 S from toxic molecule to crucial signalling molecule as comparable to H 2 O 2 and NO (Hancock, Lisjak, Teklić, Wilson, & Whiteman, 2011; Lisjak, Teklic, Wilson, Whiteman, & Hancock, 2013; Pandey & Gautam, 2020). During certain plant processes, such as stomatal movements, which are an important response to drought stress, H 2 S could act upstream or downstream of NO and abscisic acid (ABA) signalling (Jin et al, 2013; Lisjak et al, 2011; Paul & Roychoudhury, 2019). Indeed, when plants are endangered by various stresses such as drought, temperature stress and salinity, an interplay of NO and H 2 S, among other signalling pathways, regulates growth and developmental processes.…”