Heat stress induces ferroptosis-like cell death in plants

DISTEFANO A; MARTIN, M. V.; CORDOBA JUAN PABLO; BELLIDO A; DIPPOLITO S; COLMAN S; SOTO DEBORA; ROLDAN J; BARTOLI C; EDUARDO JULIAN ZABALETA; FIOL D; STOCKWELL B; SCOTT D; PAGNUSSAT G

JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY

ROCKEFELLER UNIV PRESS

Lugar: New York; Año: 2017

0021-9525

In plants, regulated cell death plays critical roles during development and is essential for plant-specific responses to abiotic and biotic stresses. Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent, oxidative, non-apoptotic form of cell death recently described in animal cells. In animal cells this process can be triggered by depletion of the tripeptide antioxidant glutathione and accumulation of lipid reactive oxygen species (ROS) to toxic levels. We investigated whether a similar process could be relevant to cell death in plants during development or in response to stress. Remarkably, heat-shock (HS)-induced regulated cell death (HS-RCD), but not reproductive or vascular development, was found to involve a ferroptosis-like cell death process. In Arabidopsis root cells, HS triggered iron-dependent cell death pathway that was characterized by depletion of glutathione and ascorbic acid, and accumulation of cytosolic and lipid ROS. These results suggest a physiological role for this lethal pathway in response to heat stress in Arabidopsis. The similarity of ferroptosis in animal cells and ferroptosis-like death in plant cells suggests that oxidative, iron-dependent cell death programs may be evolutionarily ancient.