Ascorbate-Glutathione Pathway and Stress Tolerance in Plants

Plants are sessile organisms that live under a constant barrage of biotic and abiotic insults. Both biotic and abiotic stress factors have been shown to affect various aspects of plant system including the acceleration in the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The ascorbate (AsA)-glutathione (GSH) pathway is a key part of the network of reactions involving enzymes and metabolites with redox properties for the detoxification of ROS, and thus to avert the ROS-accrued oxidative damage in plants. The present book mainly deals with the information gained through the cross-talks and inter-relationship studies on the physiological, biochemical and molecular aspects of the cumulative response of various components of AsA-GSH pathway to stress factors and their significance in plant stress tolerance.

Regulatory Role of Components of Ascorbate–Glutathione Pathway in Plant Stress Tolerance.- Ascorbate and Glutathione in Organogenesis, Regeneration and Differentiation in Plant In vitro Cultures.- Role of Ascorbate Peroxidase and Glutathione Reductase in Ascorbate–Glutathione Cycle and Stress Tolerance in Plants.- The Ascorbate–Gluathione Cycle and Related Redox Signals in Plant–Pathogen Interactions.- Regulation of the Ascorbate–Glutathione Cycle in Plants Under Drought Stress.- Glutathione and Herbicide Resistance in Plants.- Ascorbate and Glutathione: Protectors of Plants in Oxidative Stress.- Changes in the Glutathione and Ascorbate Redox State Trigger Growth During Embryo Development and Meristem Reactivation at Germination.- A Winning Two Pair: Role of the Redox Pairs AsA/DHA and GSH/GSSG in Signal Transduction.- Involvement of AsA/DHA and GSH/GSSG Ratios in Gene and Protein Expression and in the Activation of Defence Mechanisms Under Abiotic Stress Conditions.- Ascorbate–Glutathione Cycle: Enzymatic and Non-enzymatic Integrated Mechanisms and Its Biomolecular Regulation.- Coordinate Role of Ascorbate–Glutathione in Response to Abiotic Stresses.- Regulation of Genes Encoding Chloroplast Antioxidant Enzymes in Comparison to Regulation of the Extra-plastidic Antioxidant Defense System.- The Peroxisomal Ascorbate–Glutathione Pathway: Molecular Identification and Insights into Its Essential Role Under Environmental Stress Conditions.- Identification of Potential Gene Targets for the Improvement of Ascorbate Contents of Genetically Modified Plants.