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A unified mechanism of action for volatile isoprenoids in plant abiotic stress

Nature Chemical Biology volume 5, pages 283–291 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

The sessile nature of plants has resulted in the evolution of an extraordinarily diverse suite of protective mechanisms against biotic and abiotic stresses. Though volatile isoprenoids are known to be involved in many types of biotic interactions, they also play important but relatively unappreciated roles in abiotic stress responses. We review those roles, discuss the proposed mechanistic explanations and examine the evolutionary significance of volatile isoprenoid emission. We note that abiotic stress responses generically involve production of reactive oxygen species in plant cells, and volatile isoprenoids mitigate the effects of oxidative stress by mediating the oxidative status of the plant. On the basis of these observations, we propose a 'single biochemical mechanism for multiple physiological stressors' model, whereby the protective effect against abiotic stress is exerted through direct or indirect improvement in resistance to damage by reactive oxygen species.

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Figure 1: Plants are exposed to a variety of abiotic stresses.
Figure 2: The chloroplastic antioxidant/enzyme defense network reactions in response to increased light and temperature.
Figure 3: Isoprenoid biosynthetic pathways (simplified).
Figure 4: Chemical structures of isoprenoids with antioxidant properties.
Figure 5: The 'single biochemical mechanism for multiple physiological stressors' model.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Claudia E. Vickers is at the University of Queensland, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, St. Lucia, Australia.,

    Claudia E Vickers

  2. Jonathan Gershenzon is at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany.,

    Jonathan Gershenzon

  3. Manuel T. Lerdau is in the Environmental Sciences and Biology Departments, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.,

    Manuel T Lerdau

  4. Francesco Loreto is at Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Biologia Agroambientale e Forestale, Monterotondo Scalo (Roma), Italy.,

    Francesco Loreto

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  1. Claudia E Vickers
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  2. Jonathan Gershenzon
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Correspondence to Claudia E Vickers.

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Vickers, C., Gershenzon, J., Lerdau, M. et al. A unified mechanism of action for volatile isoprenoids in plant abiotic stress. Nat Chem Biol 5, 283–291 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio.158

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