Involvement of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in reduced glutathione maintenance and hydrogen peroxide signal under salt stress

Abstract

Cellular redox homeostasis is essential for plant growth, development as well as for the resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, which is governed by the complex network of prooxidant and antioxidant systems. Recendy, new evidence has been published that NADPH, produced by glucose-6-phosephate dehydrogenase enzyme (G6PDH), not only acted as the reducing potential for the output of reduced glutathione (GSH), but was involved in the activity of plasma membrane (PM) NADPH oxidase under salt stress, which resulted in hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) accumulation. H2O2 acts as a signal in regulating G6PDH activity and expression, and the activities of the enzymes in the glutathione cycle as well, through which the ability of GSH regeneration was increased under salt stress. Thus, G6PDH plays a critical role in maintaining cellular GSH levels under long-term salt stress. In this addendum, a hypothetical model for the roles of G6PDH in modulating the intracellular redox homeostasis under salt stress is presented. ©2008 Landes Bioscience.