ROS-induced transcription factors during oxidative stress in plants: A tabulated review

Abstract

Different abiotic stresses lead to overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plants which are highly reactive, toxic and cause damage to proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and DNA which ultimately results in oxidative stress. The ROS comprises of free radicals including superoxide radicals and hydroxyl radicals and molecular forms like hydrogen peroxide and singlet oxygen. Oxidative stress has been devastating effects on the overall growth of plant and it results in loss of vigour and germination. In recent years, it has become a wellknown fact that reactive oxygen intermediates are produced in plants as signalling molecules to control metabolic processes such as programmed cell death, abiotic stress responses, pathogen defence and systemic signalling. In response to stress, plants respond through crosstalk between different signal transduction pathways (abscisic acid dependent and abscisic independent), involving transcription factors (TFs). Transcription factors are also called as regulons, having a pivotal role in regulation of gene expression in plants. In the present attempt, we present tabulated review of TFs, proteins, genes and enzymes which have a central role in combating oxidative stress through gene expression regulation.