Heavy Metal Stress and Mitogen Activated Kinase Transcription Factors in
Plants: Exploring Heavy Metal-ROS Influences on Plant Signaling Pathways
Abstract
Due to their stationery nature, plants are exposed to a diverse range of
biotic and abiotic stresses, of which heavy metals stress poses as one
of the most detrimental abiotic stresses, targeting crucial and vital
processes. Heavy metals instigate the over-production of reactive oxygen
species (ROS), and in order to mitigate the adverse effects of ROS,
plants induce multiple defence mechanisms. Besides the negative
implications of overproduction of ROS, these molecules play a multitude
of signaling roles in plants, acting as a central player in the complex
signaling network of cells. One of the signaling mechanisms it is
involved in is the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade, a
signaling pathway used to transduce extracellular stimuli into
intracellular responses. Plant MAPKs have been implicated in signaling
of stresses, phytohormones and cell cycle cues. However, the influence
of various heavy metals on MAPKs activation has not been well
documented. In this review, we will attempt to address and summarize
several aspects related to various heavy metal-induced ROS signaling,
how these signals activate the MAPK cascade and the downstream
transcription factors that instigates the plants response to these heavy
metals. Moreover, we will highlight a modern research methodology that
could characterize the novel genes associated with MAPKs and their roles
in heavy metal stress.