Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 May 9;8(5):122.
doi: 10.3390/plants8050122.

Ascorbic Acid and Ozone: Novel Perspectives to Explain an Elusive Relationship

Erika Bellini  1   2 , Mario C De Tullio  3
Affiliations
Review

Ascorbic Acid and Ozone: Novel Perspectives to Explain an Elusive Relationship

Erika Bellini et al. Plants (Basel). .

Abstract

A huge amount of studies highlighted the importance of high ascorbic acid (AA) content in ozone tolerance, yet the relationship between them appears more complex than a simple direct correlation. Sometimes the connection is clear, for example, two Arabidopsis mutants defective in the main AA biosynthetic pathway (vtc mutants) were identified by means of their ozone sensitivity. However, some low-AA containing mutants are relatively tolerant, suggesting that AA location/availability could be more relevant than total content. A clear distinction should also be made between ozone tolerance obtained when AA content is increased by experimental supplementation (exogenous AA), and the physiological role of plant-synthesized AA (endogenous AA), whose amount is apparently subjected to tight regulation. Recent findings about the role of AA in signal transduction and epigenetic regulation of gene expression open new routes to further research.

Keywords: apoplast; ascorbate redox balance; epigenetics; hormesis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Relationship between ascorbic acid (AA) content and leaf injury in two tobacco cv. differing in ozone sensitivity. Scheme based on data from Menser [20].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Ozone sensitivity in Arabidopsis mutants with low AA content. Graph based on data reported by Conklin et al. [32].
Figure 3
Figure 3
The possible action of AA in plant signal transduction and epigenetic responses.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Role of AA in the hydroxylation of methylcytosine.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Scheme illustrating the two possible roles of AA in ozone tolerance. Treatments increasing AA content improve plant ROS-scavenging capability, reducing ozone-induced symptoms (upper part of the scheme). In the absence of treatments (lower part of the scheme), endogenous AA is used for AA-dependent signaling, which results in epigenetic modifications possibly involved in general stress responses.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Heggestad H.E., Middleton J.T. Ozone in high concentrations as cause of tobacco leaf injury. Science. 1959;129:208–210. doi: 10.1126/science.129.3343.208. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Freebairn H.T. The Prevention of air pollution damage to plants by the use of vitamin C sprays. J. Air Pollut. Control Assoc. 1960;10:314–317. doi: 10.1080/00022470.1960.10467938. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Mächler F., Wasescha M.R., Krieg F., Oertli J.J. Damage by ozone and protection by ascorbic acid in barley leaves. J. Plant Physiol. 1995;147:469–473. doi: 10.1016/S0176-1617(11)82185-1. - DOI
    1. Maddison J., Lyons T., Plöchl M., Barnes J. Hydroponically cultivated radish fed L-galactono-1,4-lactone exhibit increased tolerance to ozone. Planta. 2002;214:383–391. doi: 10.1007/s004250100625. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Jiang L., Feng Z., Dai L., Shang B., Paoletti E. Large variability in ambient ozone sensitivity across 19 ethylenediurea-treated Chinese cultivars of soybean is driven by total ascorbate. J. Environ. Sci. 2018;64:10–22. doi: 10.1016/j.jes.2017.07.002. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources