Plants need to capture sunlight for photosynthesis and thus cannot survive without light. Ultraviolet-B (UVB) in sunlight however induces damage to cell components including proteins, membrane lipids and nucleic acids. The increased depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer by chlorofluoromethans and other gasses has caused increases in the solar UVB radiation. Plant growth and yield might be further reduced by increases in UVB radiation. Therefore, development of UV-resistant plants is an important bioengineering target. In this review, we summarize UV defense mechanisms in plants such as the induction of antioxidant factors, accumulation of UV-absorbing compounds, efficient DNA repair, and UV signal transduction pathways. In addition, we describe the potential application of studies of UV-defense mechanisms to breeding of UV-hyper-resistant plants.
CITATION STYLE
Ueda, T., & Nakamura, C. (2011, February). Ultraviolet-defense mechanisms in higher plants. Biotechnology and Biotechnological Equipment. https://doi.org/10.5504/bbeq.2011.0001
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