Plants are sessile organisms which are exposed to continuous changes of the surrounding environment. These changes can be considered as physiological cues, such as changes in light and temperature conditions during circadian cycle or seasons, which affects all stages of plant development, including seed germination, growth, senescence and fruit ripening. However, other environmental changes, such as salinity, drought, heavy metals, flooding, low and high temperature, can impact negatively the plant metabolism with an uncontrolled generation of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). In this context, plants contain a wide battery of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant defenses located either in the membrane or in the soluble fraction of the main subcellular compartments (cytosol, plastids, mitochondria, peroxisomes, etc.) which contribute to modulate the ROS levels. This compartmentalized ROS metabolism is also interconnected and usually coordinated (retrograde signal) to provide an appropriate response against internal and external changes that could trigger cellular damage affecting the redox state and viability of the cells.
This Research Topic aims to highlight the latest discoveries in plant ROS metabolism including both ROS generating and scavenging antioxidant systems. Please note, mere descriptive data and/or quotation issues will not be considered for review as we aim to use the most updated knowledge for future development of plant biology by using both plants of agronomic interest and model plants. Some of the potential areas to frame the contributions are:
- Function of antioxidant systems in the main subcellular compartments: chloroplasts, mitochondria, peroxisomes or plasma membrane.
- Comparative analysis among organelles of biochemical studies on specific antioxidants.
- Changes of antioxidant systems under adverse stress conditions.
- Physiological changes of antioxidant systems during plant development, from seed germination to senescence including fruit ripening.
- ROS retrograde signaling among organelles.
- Enzymatic systems responsible of ROS generation (RBOH, xanthine oxidoreductase, etc).
- Protein antioxidants such as superoxide dismutases, ascorbate-glutathione cycle, thioredoxin systems, peroxiredoxins or glutathione peroxidases.
- Non-protein antioxidants (ascorbate, carotenoids, flavonoids, phenolic and sulfur compounds, etc).
We welcome the following article types: Original Research, Reviews, Mini-Reviews and Hypothesis and Theory.