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Heme oxygenase 1 and abiotic stresses in plants

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Abstract

As a key enzyme of heme degradation, heme oxygenase (HO) is essential in phytochrome chromophore synthesis, cell protection and stomatal regulation in higher plants. The activity or transcript of HO has been detected in many plant species. Arabidopsis HO1 (HY1), the first map-based cloning gene, could catalyze the transition of heme to carbon monoxide (CO) in vivo. In this review, we first describe HO1 is evolutionarily conserved through comparative analysis of different plants HO1 proteins. Then, we highlight the role of HO1 involved in plants responses to various abiotic stresses such as salinity, drought, cadmium, mercury, ultraviolet radiation, reactive oxygen species, abscisic acid, and hematin. Based on the relationship analysis between nitric oxide, CO, and hydrogen peroxide, we proposed HO1 may be a central repeater for cross talk among them in plants.

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Abbreviations

ABA:

Abscisic acid

BR:

Bilirubin

BV:

Biliverdin

CO:

Carbon monoxide

GSH :

Glutathione

HO:

Heme oxygenase

H2O2 :

Hydrogen peroxide

NO:

Nitric oxide

RNS:

Reactive nitrogen species

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for funding by grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30960181 and 31260296) and 2011 Guangxi Innovation Program for Graduates (GXU11T31076).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Agronomy, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China

    Huyi He & Longfei He

  2. Cash Crops Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning, 530007, China

    Huyi He

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  1. Huyi He
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  2. Longfei He
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Correspondence to Huyi He.

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Communicated by P. Wojtaszek.

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He, H., He, L. Heme oxygenase 1 and abiotic stresses in plants. Acta Physiol Plant 36, 581–588 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-013-1444-1

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