Cytosolic dehydroascorbate reductase is important for ozone tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana

Dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR) is a key component of the ascorbate recycling system. Three functional DHAR genes are encoded in the Arabidopsis genome. Ozone exposure increased the expression of the cytosolic DHAR (cytDHAR) gene alone. We characterized an Arabidopsis mutant with a deficient cytDHAR. The mutant completely lacked cytDHAR activity and was highly ozone sensitive. The amounts of total ascorbate and glutathione were similar in both lines, but the amount of apoplastic ascorbate in the mutant was 61.5% lower. These results indicate that the apoplastic ascorbate, which is generated through the reduction of DHA by cytDHAR, is important for ozone tolerance.