ROS signaling and its role in plants

Abstract

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are the unavoidable byproducts of aerobic metabolism. They are the necessary evils for every living organism whose lives are dependent on atmospheric oxygen in one form or another. While excess level of ROS is toxic for the plants and causes oxidative stress, an optimum basal level of ROS is required to be maintained in the cells as it is indispensable for plant's proper growth and development. Various latest studies have discovered that ROS signaling is essential for carrying out various biological activities such as cellular proliferation, differentiation, physiological cell death, cell-to-cell communication, stress acclimation, pathogen defense, and so on. Judicious manipulation of key regulators of ROS signaling can bring about improved adaptation of the plants to the recent climate changes happening across the globe.