The complexity of nitric oxide generation and function in plants

BENAVIDES MP; GALLEGO SM; RAMOS ARTUSO F; CHECOVICH M; GALATRO A

BIOCELL

INST HISTOL EMBRIOL-CONICET

Lugar: Mendoza; Año: 2016 vol. 40 p. 1 - 5

0327-9545

ABSTRACT: Plants are exposed to environmental stress, in natural and agricultural conditions.Nitric oxide(NO), a small gaseous molecule which plays important roles in plants, has been involved in many physiologicalprocesses, and emerged as an important endogenous signaling molecule in the adaptation of plants to biotic andabiotic stress. NO is produced from a variety of enzymatic and non enzymatic sources, which are not yet fullyunderstood. Also, NO and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) can produce posttranslational modifications affectingprotein function. Nitrate reductase, a key enzyme in the nitrogen metabolism, is a proposed source of NO inplants which could be affected by posttranslational modifications.Thus, different pathways seem to be involvedand can also regulate NO synthesis in the plant cell under physiological or stress conditions. However, how thelevels of NO are reached in such time and place to fulfill its functions, are still puzzles to elucidate