Role of proteases in the response of plants to drought

D'IPPÓLITO, SEBASTIÁN; REY-BURUSCO, MARÍA FLORENCIA; FEINGOLD, SERGIO ENRIQUE; GUEVARA, MARÍA GABRIELA

PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY

ELSEVIER FRANCE-EDITIONS SCIENTIFIQUES MEDICALES ELSEVIER

Año: 2021 vol. 168 p. 1 - 9

0981-9428

Plants are sessile organisms that, to survive they develop response mechanisms under water deficit conditions.Plant proteases play an essential role in a diversity of biological processes, among them tolerance to droughtstress. Proteolysis is a critical regulator of stomatal development. Plant proteases are involved in the crosstalkamong phytohormones and adjustment of stomatal aperture. Plant proteases are also related to the increment inreactive oxygen species (ROS) production detected in the plant biochemical response to drought. Plant proteasesmitigate this process by degrading damaged, denatured, and aggregated proteins, remobilizing amino acids, andgenerating molecules involved in signal transductions. Although many roles for proteases have been proposed,molecular bases that regulate these mechanisms remain unknown. In this review, we summarize the currentknowledge on the participation of proteases in the signaling pathways of plants in response to water deficit andtheir relationship with plant stress tolerance.