Molecular mechanisms of hydrogen sulfide's participation in adaptive reactions of plants

Abstract

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a signaling molecule-gasotransmitter that participates in the regulation of many functions of plant organism, including processes of adaptation to stressors of various natures. In recent years, experimental data on the molecular mechanisms of hydrogen sulfide’s action, including posttranslational modification of proteins, and functional relationships of H2S with other cellular mediators — calcium ions, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and nitric oxide — have been intensively accumulated. The review summarizes the latest data on the mechanisms of hydrogen sulfide’s action in the context of its participation in the plants adaptation to the action of stressors. Information on H2S synthesis pathways in plants is also provided. Experimental data on changes in the content of endogenous hydrogen sulfide in plants under the influence of stressors are considered. Information on the stress-protective effect of H2S donors on plants under the action of hypo- and hyperthermia, dehydration, salinity, and heavy metals is presented. The role of hydrogen sulfide in the regulation of antioxidant system, the accumulation of osmolytes, activation of stress protein synthesis is noted. Data on the functional interaction of hydrogen sulfide with ROS and nitric oxide, in particular, competition for thiol groups of proteins, as well as the influence of these mediators on each other’s synthesis are analyzed. Information on the effect of hydrogen sulfide on the synthesis of key plant stress hormones, namely, abscisic, jasmonic, and salicylic acids, and its participation in the transduction of hormonal signals into the genetic apparatus of plant cells is summarized. Possibilities of practical use of hydrogen sulfide donors as inducers of plant resistance are outlined.