Application of proteomics in investigating the responses of plant to abiotic stresses

Abstract

This review summarizes the application of proteomic techniques in investigating the responses of plant to abiotic stresses. In the natural environment, the plants are exposed to a diverse range of adverse abiotic factors that significantly impact their growth and development. The plants have evolved intricate stress response mechanisms at the genetic, protein, metabolic, and phenotypic levels to mitigate damage caused by unfavorable conditions. Proteomics serves as an effective tool for studying protein changes in plants and provides valuable insights into the physiological mechanisms underlying plant stress resistance. Several proteins involved in abiotic stress responses have been identified in plants, including transcription factors, protein kinases, ATP synthases, heat shock proteins, redox proteins, and enzymes in secondary metabolite pathways. Medicinal plants are a unique category of crops capable of synthesizing secondary metabolites, which play a crucial role in resisting abiotic stress and exhibit changes in content under stress conditions. In this review, we present an overview of proteomic tools employed for investigating the responses of plants to abiotic stresses and summarize alterations observed at the protein level under various abiotic stresses such as signal transduction, oxidative damage, carbohydrate and energy metabolism, protein and amino acid metabolism, cellular homeostasis, and enzyme involvement in secondary metabolism. This work aims to facilitate the application of proteomics techniques in plants research while enhancing our understanding of the response mechanisms exhibited by these plants towards abiotic stresses.

Keywords: Abiotic stress; Active ingredient; Medicinal plant; Proteomics; Secondary metabolite.