The role of ethylene in metabolic acclimations to low oxygen

• Published in: The New phytologist Vol. 229; no. 1; pp. 64 - 70
• Main Authors: Hartman, Sjon, Sasidharan, Rashmi, Voesenek, Laurentius A. C. J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Wiley 01.01.2021; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Acclimation; Acclimatization; anaerobic metabolism; Autophagy; ERFVII; Ethene; Ethylene; Ethylenes; Flooding; Floods; Gaseous diffusion; Hormones; Hypoxia; Metabolism; Oxygen; oxygen sensing; Phagocytosis; Plant growth substances; Plant hormones; Plant Physiological Phenomena; Plant tissues; Plants; Reactive oxygen species; reactive oxygen species (ROS); Review; Stability; submerged aquatic plants; Submerged plants; Submergence; Survival; Tansley Insight; Transcription; Transcription Factors; submergence; hypoxia; autophagy; anaerobic metabolism; oxygen sensing; reactive oxygen species (ROS); ethylene; ERFVII
• ISSN: 0028-646X; 1469-8137; 1469-8137
• DOI: 10.1111/nph.16378

Submerged plants ultimately suffer from shortage in cellular oxygen availability (hypoxia) as a result of impaired gas diffusion underwater. The gaseous plant hormone ethylene is rapidly entrapped in submerged plant tissues and is an established regulator of morphological and anatomical flood-adaptive responses. Multiple recent discoveries suggest that ethylene also plays a crucial role in hypoxia anticipation and metabolic acclimation during plant submergence. Ethylene was shown to accelerate and enhance the hypoxic response through enhanced stability of specific transcription factors (group VII ethylene response factors). Moreover, we suggest that ethylene could play an important role in the induction of autophagy and promote reactive oxygen species amelioration, thereby contributing to enhanced survival during flooding, hypoxia, and reoxygenation stress.