H2S signaling in plants and applications in agriculture

Abstract

The signaling properties of the gasotransmitter molecule hydrogen sulfide (HS), which is endogenously generated in plant cells, are mainly observed during persulfidation, a protein post-translational modification (PTM) that affects redox-sensitive cysteine residues. There is growing experimental evidence that HS in higher plants may function as a mechanism of response to environmental stress conditions. In addition, exogenous applications of HS to plants appear to provide additional protection against stresses, such as salinity, drought, extreme temperatures and heavy metals, mainly through the induction of antioxidant systems, in order to palliate oxidative cellular damage. HS also appears to be involved in regulating physiological functions, such as seed germination, stomatal movement and fruit ripening, as well as molecules that maintain post-harvest quality and rhizobium–legume symbiosis. These properties of HS open up new challenges in plant research to better understand its functions as well as new opportunities for biotechnological treatments in agriculture in a changing environment.