Chapter 16 - Cross-talk between ROS, RNS, RCS, and RSS in plants under abiotic stresses

Abstract

Due to the changing climatic condition, plants are exposed to multitude of abiotic stresses from light fluctuation to temperature variation, water availability and/or drought, soil nutrient disorder, salinity, UV radiations, etc. These stresses cause alteration in both physiology and biochemical of plants which ultimately bring changes at molecular level. Generation of reactive species or free radicals is the most common adaptation to combat these challenges at cellular level. In addition to reactive oxygen species (ROS), reactive nitrogen species (RNS), reactive carbonyl species (RCS), and reactive sulphur species (RSS) are also made and are thought to be a unique source of cellular damage due to their high reactivity and detrimental lethality. However, RSS also plays a crucial role in signalling cascades. RSS are of low molecular weight, having sulfur at a high oxidation state such as thiol, disulfide, sulfenic acid, thiosulfate, and thiosulfonate formed during oxidative stress as an intermediate in disulfide production pathway. RSS are suggested to be formed in detoxification reactions of ROS and RNS and oxidation of disulfides by thiosulfinates, a form of ROS which are ultimately converted to thiosulfonates. Literature has revealed the interlinked connection between these reactive species in plants under various abiotic stresses. This chapter focusses on the pivotal role of ROS, RNS, RCS, and RSS and their cross-talk under abiotic stresses using biochemical as well as molecular approaches.