The interplay between ROS and tubulin cytoskeleton in plants

Abstract

Plants have to deal with reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, since it could potentially cause severe damages to different cellular components. On the other hand, ROS functioning as important second messengers are implicated in various developmental processes and are transiently produced during biotic or abiotic stresses. Furthermore, the microtubules (MTs) play a primary role in plant development and appear as potent players in sensing stressful situations and in the subsequent cellular responses. Emerging evidence suggests that ROS affect MTs in multiple ways. The cellular redox status seems to be tightly coupled with MTs. ROS signals regulate the organization of tubulin cytoskeleton and induce tubulin modifications. This review aims at summarizing the signaling mechanisms and the key operators orchestrating the crosstalk between ROS and tubulin cytoskeleton in plant cells. The contribution of several molecules, including microtubule associated proteins, oxidases, kinases, phospholipases, and transcription factors, is highlighted. © 2014 Landes Bioscience.