Open Access

REVIEW

Gasotransmitters as Key Members of the Signaling Network Regulating Stomatal Response: Interaction with Other Molecules

Yuriy E. Kolupaev^1,2,*, Tetiana O. Yastreb^1,*, Alexander P. Dmitriev³
1 Yuriev Plant Production Institute, National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, Kharkiv, 61060, Ukraine
2 Department of Plant Protection, Poltava State Agrarian University, Poltava, 36003, Ukraine
3 Institute of Cell Biology and Genetic Engineering, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, 03143, Ukraine
* Corresponding Author: Yuriy E. Kolupaev. Email: ; Tetiana O. Yastreb. Email:
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Regulation of Phytohormone Biosynthesis and Signaling)

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2024.057922

Received 31 August 2024; Accepted 07 October 2024; Published online 25 November 2024

Abstract

Stomatal closure, which serves to limit water loss, represents one of the most rapid and critical reactions of plants, occurring not only in response to drought but also to a range of other stressors, including salinity, extreme temperatures, heavy metals, gaseous toxicants, and pathogen infection. ABA is considered to be the main regulator of stomatal movements in plants under abiotic stress. In the last two decades, however, the list of plant hormones and other physiologically active substances that affect stomatal status has expanded considerably. It is believed that stomata are regulated by a complex multicomponent network of compounds consisting of hormones and signaling mediators. A special place among them is occupied by gasotransmitters, endogenously synthesized gaseous compounds with signaling functions. The most studied of them are nitrogen monoxide (NO), hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), and carbon monoxide (CO). Carbon dioxide (CO₂), not yet classified as a classical gasotransmitter, is also considered an important gaseous regulatory molecule. Information has been obtained on the ability of each of these gases to induce stomatal responses in plants. Gasotransmitters are also involved as mediators in stomatal responses induced by various plant hormones and other compounds, particularly ABA, jasmonic and salicylic acids, brassinosteroids, and polyamines. This review examines the functional interactions between gasotransmitters at the level of influencing each other’s synthesis and interactions with other mediators, especially ROS and calcium ions, in their involvement in providing stomatal responses. The latest information on proteins involved in stomatal regulation and undergoing post-translational modification under the action of gasotransmitters, including protein kinases, ion channel proteins, aquaporins, pro- and antioxidant enzymes, is also summarized. The possibilities of practical use of gasotransmitter donors as stress protective agents contributing to the normalization of plant water metabolism are considered.

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Keywords

Stomata; gasotransmitters; reactive oxygen species (ROS); post-translational modification of proteins; plant resistance

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