Abstract
Programmed cell death (PCD) plays crucial roles in plant development and defence response. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced during normal plant growth, and high ROS concentrations can change the antioxidant status of cells, leading to spontaneous cell death. In addition, ROS function as signalling molecules to improve plant stress tolerance, and they induce PCD under different conditions. This review describes the mechanisms underlying plant PCD, the key functions of mitochondria and chloroplasts in PCD, and the relationship between mitochondria and chloroplasts during PCD. Additionally, the review discusses the factors that regulate PCD. Most importantly, in this review, we summarise the sites of production of ROS and discuss the roles of ROS that not only trigger multiple signalling pathways leading to PCD but also participate in the execution of PCD, highlighting the importance of ROS in PCD.
Highlights
Programmed cell death (PCD) is a genetically controlled cell death process that is activated and executed by the cell itself and is commonly observed in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms [1,2]
In the mod1 mutant, a large amount of NADH accumulates in the chloroplasts, which generates malic acid and provides reducing power that enters the mitochondria through the malate-OAA shuttle, thereby initiating PCD [28]. This finding indicates that signalling between the chloroplasts and mitochondria plays a vital role in PCD regulation in plants [28,73]
Rice HEXOKINASE1 (HXK1) controls appropriate Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and proper timing of tapetal PCD; HXK1 expression is directly regulated by rice ARGONAUTE 2 (AGO2) through epigenetic regulation [106]
Summary
Programmed cell death (PCD) is a genetically controlled cell death process that is activated and executed by the cell itself and is commonly observed in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms [1,2]. Plant PCD can be divided into two types based on the function, namely development-related PCD (dPCD) and environment-related PCD (ePCD). Subcellular structures such as mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, and nucleus are involved in animal PCD. ROS generation and accumulation are involved in intracellular oxidative stress responses and plant development, which in turn regulate PCD. They strictly control cell proliferation and cell death through PCD, thereby maintaining a stable and balanced number of living cells. We discuss the factors that regulate PCD, as well as the prominent roles of ROS in induction, signalling, and execution of plant cell death. We highlight the sources of ROS and provide an overview of the mechanism of action of ROS in PCD regulation
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