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Published on: June 21, 2021
Oxidative post-translational modifications of cysteine residues in plant signal transduction
Cezary Waszczak1, Salma Akter2, Silke Jacques3
1Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, 9052 Ghent, Belgium Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium Structural Biology Research Center, VIB, 1050 Brussels, Belgium Brussels Center for Redox Biology, 1050 Brussels, Belgium Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussels, Belgium * Present address: Division of Plant Biology, Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland.
Abstract:
In plants, fluctuation of the redox balance by altered levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) can affect many aspects of cellular physiology. ROS homeostasis is governed by a diversified set of antioxidant systems. Perturbation of this homeostasis leads to transient or permanent changes in the redox status and is exploited by plants in different stress signalling mechanisms. Understanding how plants sense ROS and transduce these stimuli into downstream biological responses is still a major challenge. ROS can provoke reversible and irreversible modifications to proteins that act in diverse signalling pathways. These oxidative post-translational modifications (Ox-PTMs) lead to oxidative damage and/or trigger structural alterations in these target proteins. Characterization of the effect of individual Ox-PTMs on individual proteins is the key to a better understanding of how cells interpret the oxidative signals that arise from developmental cues and stress conditions. This review focuses on ROS-mediated Ox-PTMs on cysteine (Cys) residues. The Cys side chain, with its high nucleophilic capacity, appears to be the principle target of ROS. Ox-PTMs on Cys residues participate in various signalling cascades initiated by plant stress hormones. We review the mechanistic aspects and functional consequences of Cys Ox-PTMs on specific target proteins in view of stress signalling events.
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