Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

Physiological roles of plastid terminal oxidase in plant stress responses

  • Review
  • Published:
Journal of Biosciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The plastid terminal oxidase (PTOX) is a plastoquinol oxidase localized in the plastids of plants. It is able to transfer electrons from plastoquinone (PQ) to molecular oxygen with the formation of water. Recent studies have suggested that PTOX is beneficial for plants under environmental stresses, since it is involved in the synthesis of photoprotective carotenoids and chlororespiration, which could potentially protect the chloroplast electron transport chain (ETC) from over-reduction. The absence of PTOX in plants usually results in photo-bleached variegated leaves and impaired adaptation to environment alteration. Although PTOX level and activity has been found to increase under a wide range of stress conditions, the functions of plant PTOX in stress responses are still disputed now. In this paper, the possible physiological roles of PTOX in plant stress responses are discussed based on the recent progress.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Explore related subjects

Discover the latest articles and news from researchers in related subjects, suggested using machine learning.

References

  • Allahverdiyeva Y, Mamedov F, Mäenpää P, Vass I and Aro E-M 2005 Modulation of photosynthetic electron transport in the absence of terminal electron acceptors: characterization of the rbcL deletion mutant of tobacco. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1709 69–83

    Google Scholar 

  • Aluru MR, Yu F, Fu A and Rodermel S 2006 Arabidopsis variegation mutants: new insight in to chloroplast biogenesis. J. Exp. Bot. 57 1871–1881

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Aluru MR and Rodermel SR 2004 Control of chloroplast redox by IMMUTANS terminal oxidase. Physiol. Plant. 120 4–11

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Baena-González E, Allahverdiyeva Y, Svab Z, Maliga P, Josse E-M, Kuntz M, Mäenpää P and Aro E-M 2003 Deletion of the tobacco plastid psbA gene triggers an upregulation of the thylakoid-associated NAD(P)H dehydrogenase complex and the plastid terminal oxidase (PTOX). Plant J. 35 704–716

  • Barbazuk WB, Fu Y and McGinnis KM 2008 Genome-wide analyses of alternative splicing in plants: opportunities and challenges. Genome Res. 18 1381–1392

    Google Scholar 

  • Busch F, Hüner NPA and Ensminger I 2008 Increased air temperature during simulated autumn conditions impairs photosynthetic electron transport between photosystem II and photosystem I. Plant Physiol. 147 402–414

  • Carol P and Kuntz M 2001 A Plastid terminal oxidase comes to light: implications for carotenoid biosynthesis and chlororespiration. Trends Plant Sci. 6 31–36

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen X and Guo Z 2008 Tobacco OPBP1 enhances salt tolerance and disease resistance of transgenic rice. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 9 2601–2613

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Díaz M, De Haro V, Muñoz R and Quiles MJ 2007 Chlororespiration is involved in the adaptation of Brassica plants to heat and high light intensity. Plant Cell Environ. 30 1578–1585

    Google Scholar 

  • Gamboa J, Muñoz R and Quiles MJ 2009 Effects of antimycin A and n-propyl gallate on photosynthesis in sun and shade plants. Plant Sci. 177 643–647

  • Heyno E, Gross CM, Laureau C, Culcasi M, Pietri S and Krieger-Liszkay A 2009 Plastid alternative oxidase (PTOX) promotes oxidative stress when overexpressed in tobacco. J. Biol. Chem. 284 31174–31180

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ibáñez H, Ballester A, Muñoz R and Quiles MJ 2010 Chlororespiration and tolerance to drought, heat and high illumination. J. Plant Physiol. 167 732–738

    Google Scholar 

  • Joët T, Genty B, Josse E-M, Kuntz M, Cournac L and Peltier G 2002 Involvement of a plastid terminal oxidase in plastoquinone oxidation as enhanced by expression of the Arabidopsis thaliana enzyme in tobacco. J. Biol. Chem. 277 31623–31630

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kong J, Gong J-M, Zhang Z-G, Zhang J-S and Chen S-Y 2003 A new AOX homologous gene OsIM1 from rice (Oryza sativa L.) with an alternative splicing mechanism under salt stress. Theor. Appl. Genet. 107 326–331

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kuntz M 2004 Plastid terminal oxidase and its biological significance. Planta 218 896–899

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lei T, Feng H, Sun X, Dai Q-L, Zhang F, Liang H-G and Lin H-H 2010 The alternative pathway in cucumber seedlings under low temperature stress was enhanced by salicylic acid. Plant Growth Regul. 60 35–42

    Google Scholar 

  • Lennon AM, Prommeenate P and Nixon PJ 2003 Location expression and orientation of the putative chlororespiratory enzymes, Ndh and IMMUTANS, in higher plant-plastids. Planta 218 254–260

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li Y, Sommerfeld M, Chen F and Hu Q 2008 Consumption of oxygen by astaxanthin biosynthesis: a protective mechanism against oxidative stress in Haematococcus pluvialis (Chlorophyceae). J. Plant Physiol. 165 1783–1797

    Google Scholar 

  • Li Y, Sommerfeld M, Chen F and Hu Q 2010 Effect of photon flux densities on regulation of carotenogenesis and cell viability of Haematococcus pluvialis (Chlorophyceae). J. Appl. Phycol. 22 253–263

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McDonald AE, Ivanov AG, Bode R, Maxwell DP, Rodermel SR and Hüner NPA 2011 Flexibility in photosynthetic electron transport: The physiological role of plastoquinol terminal oxidase (PTOX). Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 1807 954–967

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moseley JL, Chang C-W and Grossman AR 2006 Genome-based approaches to understanding phosphorus deprivation responses and PSR1 control in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Eukaryot. Cell 5 26–44

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Okegawa Y, Kobayashi Y and Shikanai T 2010 Physiological links among alternative electron transport pathways that reduce and oxidize plastoquinone in Arabidopsis. Plant J. 63 458–468

  • Peltier G and Cournac L 2002 Chlororespiration. Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol. 53 523–550

  • Quiles MJ 2006 Stimulation of chlororespiration by heat and high light intensity in oat plants. Plant Cell Environ. 29 1463–1470

    Google Scholar 

  • Rizhsky L, Hallak-Herr E, Van Breusegem F, Rachmilevitch S, Barr JE, Rodermel S, Inzé D and Mittler R 2002 Double antisense plants lacking ascorbate peroxidase and catalase are less sensitive to oxidative stress than single antisense plants lacking ascorbate peroxidase or catalase. Plant J. 32 329–342

  • Rodermel S 2002 Arabidopsis variegation mutants. The Arabidopsis Book 1 e0079

  • Rosso D, Ivanov AG, Fu A, Geisler-Lee J, Hendrickson L, Geisler M, Stewart G, Krol M, et al. 2006 IMMUTANS does not act as a stress-induced safety valve in the protection of the photosynthetic apparatus of Arabidopsis during steady-state photosynthesis. Plant Physiol. 142 574–585

    Google Scholar 

  • Rumeau D, Peltier G and Cournac L 2007 Chlororespiration and cyclic electron flow around PSI during photosynthesis and plant stress response. Plant Cell Environ. 30 1041–1051

    Google Scholar 

  • Savitch LV, Ivanov AG, Krol M, Sprott DP, Öquist G and Huner NPA 2010 Regulation of energy partitioning and alternative electron transport pathways during cold acclimation of Lodgepole pine are oxygen-dependent. Plant Cell Physiol. 51 1555–1570

    Google Scholar 

  • Shahbazi M, Gilbert M, Labouré A-M and Kuntz M 2007 Dual role of the plastid terminal oxidase in tomato. Plant Physiol. 145 691–702

    Google Scholar 

  • Simkin AJ, Moreau H, Kuntz M, Pagny G, Lin C, Tanksley S and McCarthy J 2008 An investigation of carotenoid biosynthesis in Coffea canephora and Coffea arabica. J. Plant Physiol. 165 1087–1106

  • Stepien P and Johnson GN 2009 Contrasting responses of photosynthesis to salt stress in the glycophyte Arabidopsis and the halophyte Thellungiella: role of the plastid terminal oxidase as an alternative electron sink. Plant Physiol. 149 1154–1165

    Google Scholar 

  • Streb P, Josse E-M, Gallouët E, Baptist F, Kuntz M and Cornic G 2005 Evidence for alternative electron sinks to photosynthetic carbon assimilation in the high mountain plant species Ranunculus glacialis. Plant Cell Environ. 28 1123–1135

    Google Scholar 

  • Tallón C and Quiles MJ 2007 Acclimation to heat and high light intensity during the development of oat leaves increases the NADH DH complex and PTOX levels in chloroplasts. Plant Sci. 173 438–445

  • Wang J, Sommerfeld M and Hu Q 2009 Occurrence and environmental stress responses of two plastid terminal oxidases in Haematococcus pluvialis (Chlorophyceae). Planta 230 191–203

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao M-G, Liu Y-G, Zhang L-X, Zheng L and Bi Y-R 2007 Effects of enhanced UV-B radiation on the activity and expression of alternative oxidase in red kidney bean leaves. J. Integr. Plant Biol. 49 1320–1326

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31000682) and the Support Program of Sichuan Agricultural University for Doctor (00170402).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agronomy College, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu Campus, Chengdu, 611130, China

    Xin Sun & Tao Wen

Authors
  1. Xin Sun
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tao Wen
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xin Sun.

Additional information

Corresponding editor: Amit Chattopadhyay

[Sun X and Wen T 2011 Physiological roles of plastid terminal oxidase in plant stress responses. J. Biosci. 36 1–6] DOI

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sun, X., Wen, T. Physiological roles of plastid terminal oxidase in plant stress responses. J Biosci 36, 951–956 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-011-9161-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-011-9161-7

Keywords