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
. 2021 Dec;40(12):2273-2286.
doi: 10.1007/s00299-021-02751-z. Epub 2021 Jul 16.

Mechanisms of elevated CO2-induced thermotolerance in plants: the role of phytohormones

Golam Jalal Ahammed  1 , Yelan Guang  2 , Youxin Yang  3 , Jinyin Chen  4   5
Affiliations
Review

Mechanisms of elevated CO2-induced thermotolerance in plants: the role of phytohormones

Golam Jalal Ahammed et al. Plant Cell Rep. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

Rising atmospheric CO2 is a key driver of climate change, intensifying drastic changes in meteorological parameters. Plants can sense and respond to changes in environmental parameters including atmospheric CO2 and temperatures. High temperatures beyond the physiological threshold can significantly affect plant growth and development and thus attenuate crop productivity. However, elevated atmospheric CO2 can mitigate the deleterious effects of heat stress on plants. Despite a large body of literature supporting the positive impact of elevated CO2 on thermotolerance, the underlying biological mechanisms and precise molecular pathways that lead to enhanced tolerance to heat stress remain largely unclear. Under heat stress, elevated CO2-induced expression of respiratory burst oxidase homologs (RBOHs) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling play a critical role in stomatal movement, which optimizes gas exchange to enhance photosynthesis and water use efficiency. Notably, elevated CO2 also fortifies antioxidant defense and redox homeostasis to alleviate heat-induced oxidative damage. Both hormone-dependent and independent pathways have been shown to mediate high CO2-induced thermotolerance. The activation of heat-shock factors and subsequent expression of heat-shock proteins are thought to be the essential mechanism downstream of hormone and ROS signaling. Here we review the role of phytohormones in plant response to high atmospheric CO2 and temperatures. We also discuss the potential mechanisms of elevated CO2-induced thermotolerance by focusing on several key phytohormones such as ethylene. Finally, we address some limitations of our current understanding and the need for further research to unveil the yet-unknown crosstalk between plant hormones in mediating high CO2-induced thermotolerance in plants.

Keywords: CO2 enrichment; Heat-shock factors; Heat-shock proteins (HSPs); Phytohormones; RBOH; Reactive oxygen species; Stomatal closure.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. AbdElgawad H, Farfan-Vignolo ER, de Vos D, Asard H (2015) Elevated CO2 mitigates drought and temperature-induced oxidative stress differently in grasses and legumes. Plant Sci 231:1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plantsci.2014.11.001 - DOI - PubMed
    1. AbdElgawad H, Zinta G, Beemster GT, Janssens IA, Asard H (2016) Future climate CO2 levels mitigate stress impact on plants: Increased defense or decreased challenge? Front Plant Sci 7:556. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2016.00556 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Ahammed GJ, Li X, Yu J, Shi K (2015) NPR1-dependent salicylic acid signaling is not involved in elevated CO2-induced heat stress tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Signal Behav 10(6):e1011944. https://doi.org/10.1080/15592324.2015.1011944 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Ahammed GJ, Li X, Zhou J, Zhou Y-H, Yu J-Q (2016) Role of hormones in plant adaptation to heat stress. Plant Hormones under Chall Environm Factors. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-7758-2_1 - DOI
    1. Ahammed GJ, Xu W, Liu A, Chen S (2018) COMT1 Silencing aggravates heat stress-induced reduction in photosynthesis by decreasing chlorophyll content, photosystem ii activity, and electron transport efficiency in tomato. Front Plant Sci. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2018.00998 - DOI - PubMed - PMC

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources