Enzymatic and Non‐enzymatic Detoxification of Reactive Carbonyl Compounds Improves the Oxidative Stress Tolerance in Cucumber, Tobacco and Rice Seedlings.

A research article published in Journal of Plant Growth Regulators by Dr Ramu Vemanna from RCB in collaboration with Dr Udayakumar’s group at UASB highlights the importance of scavenging reactive carbonyl compounds (RCC) that are generated under stress using enzymatic and non-enzymatic modes to improve seedling growth. Seedling growth during crop establishment plays an important role in plant adaptation to environmental factors. Overexpression of enzyme encoding aldo-keto reductase-1 (AKR1) in tobacco and rice showed detoxification of RCC, MDA and methylglyoxal with improved seedling growth under stress. Small molecules like acetylsalicylic acid, aminoguanidine, carnosine, curcumin and pyridoxamine showed detoxification of RCC non-enzymatically and rescued the cucumber seedling growth from glucose, NaCl and MV-stress. These molecules can be exploited for seed treatment processes in agriculture and enzyme encoding genes may serve as molecular markers and candidates for gene editing in crop improvement programs.

For full article: doi.org/10.1007/s00344-020-10072-w