Engineering Antioxidant Enzymes for Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants

摘要

Under homeostatic conditions, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced during many metabolic reactions, such as photosynthesis, photorespiration and respiration. Plant cells have evolved an elaborate system of antioxidants and enzymes, which help them to scavenge these indigenously generated ROS. It has been recently shown that ROS may also function as signalling molecules in plants and are involved in the control and regulation of biological processes such as programmed cell death, hormonal signalling, stress responses and development. Oxidative stress occurs when there is a serious imbalance between the production of ROS and antioxidative defence. Various enzymes involved in ROS-scavenging have been manipulated by either over expression or down regulation in transgenic plants, to add to the present knowledge and understanding of the functioning of these enzymes in protection against stress. The potential of genetic engineering approach in counteracting stress-induced oxidative stress has been discussed in this review.