Although active oxygen species are produced at high rates in both the chloroplasts and peroxisomes of the leaves of C₃ plants, most attention has focused on the potentially damaging consequences of enhanced chloroplastic production in stress conditions such as drought. This article attempts to provide quantitative estimates of the relative contributions of the chloroplast electron transport chain and the glycolate oxidase reaction to the oxidative load placed on the photosynthetic leaf cell. Rates of photorespiratory H₂O₂ production were obtained from photosynthetic and photorespiratory flux rates, derived from steady‐state leaf gas exchange measurements at varying irradiance and ambient CO₂. Assuming a 10 % allocation of photosynthetic electron flow to the Mehler reaction, photorespiratory H₂O₂ production would account for about 70 % of total H₂O₂ formed at all irradiances measured. When chloroplastic CO₂ concentration rates are decreased, photorespiration becomes even more predominant in H₂O₂ generation. At the increased flux through photorespiration observed at lower ambient CO₂, the Mehler reaction would have to account for more than 35 % of the total photosynthetic electron flow in order to match the rate of peroxisomal H₂O₂ production. The potential signalling role of H₂O₂ produced in the peroxisomes is emphasized, and it is demonstrated that photorespiratory H₂O₂ can perturb the redox states of leaf antioxidant pools. We discuss the interactions between oxidants, antioxidants and redox changes leading to modified gene expression, particularly in relation to drought, and call attention to the potential significance of photorespiratory H₂O₂ in signalling and acclimation.

Vitamin C deficiency in the Arabidopsis mutant vtc1 causes slow growth and late flowering. This is not attributable to changes in photosynthesis or increased oxidative stress. We have used the vtc1 mutant to provide a molecular signature for vitamin C deficiency in plants. Using statistical analysis, we show that 171 genes are expressed differentially in vtc1 compared with the wild type. Many defense genes are activated, particularly those that encode pathogenesis-related proteins. Furthermore, transcript changes indicate that growth and development are constrained in vtc1 by the modulation of abscisic acid signaling. Abscisic acid contents are significantly higher in vtc1 than in the wild type. Key features of the molecular signature of ascorbate deficiency can be reversed by incubating vtc1 leaf discs in ascorbate. This finding provides evidence that many of the observed effects on transcript abundance in vtc1 result from ascorbate deficiency. Hence, through modifying gene expression, vitamin C contents not only act to regulate defense and survival but also act via phytohormones to modulate plant growth under optimal conditions.

Photosynthesis has a high capacity for production of hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ), but the intracellular levels of this relatively weak oxidant are controlled by the antioxidant system, comprising a network of enzymatic and non-enzymatic components that notably includes reactions linked to the intracellular ascorbate and glutathione pools. Mutants and transformed plants with specific decreases in key components offer the opportunity to dissect the complex system that maintains redox homeostasis. Since H ₂ O ₂ is a signal-transducing molecule relaying information on intracellular redox state, the pool size must be rigorously controlled within each compartment of the cell. This review focuses on compartment-specific differences in the stringency of redox coupling between ascorbate and glutathione, and the significance this may have for the flexibility of the control of gene expression that is linked to photosynthetic H ₂ O ₂ production.

Ramonda sp. (Gesneriaceae) is an endemic and relic plant in a very small group of poikilohydric angiosperms that are able to survive in an almost completely dehydrated state. Senescence- and drought-related changes in the activity of peroxidase (POD; EC 1.11.1.7), ascorbate peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.11), and superoxide dismutase (SOD; EC 1.15.1.1) were determined in leaves of different age and relative water content. The results indicate that different POD isoforms were stimulated during senescence and dehydration. Two of the soluble POD isoforms were anionic with pI 4.5, and two were cationic with pI 9.3 and 9.0. The activity of ascorbate peroxidase remained unchanged either by drought or senescence. For the first time, SOD isoforms have now been determined in this resurrection plant. Several SOD isoforms, all of the Mn type, were found to be anionic with pI 4 and a few others had pI from 5 to 6, while one band of FeSOD with a lower molecular weight was neutral. Rehydration brought about a remarkable decrease over the first hour in the activity of all the antioxidant enzymes examined but activity recovered 1 d after rehydration. The results confirmed that dehydration and senescence caused disturbance in the redox homeostasis of Ramonda leaves, while inducing different POD isoforms. A physiological role of peroxidase reaction with hydroxycinnamic acids in conservation and protection of cellular constituents of desiccated Ramonda leaves is suggested.

Water deficit has a global impact on plant growth and crop yield. Climate changes are going to increase the intensity, duration and frequency of severe droughts, particularly in southern and south-eastern Europe, elevating the water scarcity issues. We aimed to assess the contribution of endogenous abscisic acid (ABA) in the protective mechanisms against water deficit, including stomatal conductance, relative water potential and the accumulation of osmoprotectants, as well as on growth parameters. To achieve that, we used a suitable model system, ABA-deficient tomato mutant, flacca and its parental line. Flacca mutant exhibited constitutively higher levels of soluble sugars (e.g., galactose, arabinose, sorbitol) and free amino acids (AAs) compared with the wild type (WT). Water deficit provoked the strong accumulation of proline in both genotypes, and total soluble sugars only in flacca. Upon re-watering, these osmolytes returned to the initial levels in both genotypes. Our results indicate that flacca compensated higher stomatal conductance with a higher constitutive level of free sugars and AAs. Additionally, we suggest that the accumulation of AAs, particularly proline and its precursors and specific branched-chain AAs in both, glucose and sucrose in flacca, and sorbitol in WT, could contribute to maintaining growth rate during water deficit and recovery in both tomato genotypes.