title: Abscisic acid and abiotic stress tolerance - different tiers of regulation.
abstract: Abiotic stresses affect plant growth, metabolism and sustainability in a significant way and hinder plant productivity. Plants combat these stresses in myriad ways. The analysis of the mechanisms underlying abiotic stress tolerance has led to the identification of a highly complex, yet tightly regulated signal transduction pathway consisting of phosphatases, kinases, transcription factors and other regulatory elements. It is becoming increasingly clear that also epigenetic processes cooperate in a concerted manner with ABA-mediated gene expression in combating stress conditions. Dynamic stress-induced mechanisms, involving changes in the apoplastic pool of ABA, are transmitted by a chain of phosphatases and kinases, resulting in the expression of stress inducible genes. Processes involving DNA methylation and chromatin modification as well as post transcriptional, post translational and epigenetic control mechanisms, forming multiple tiers of regulation, regulate this gene expression. With recent advances in transgenic technology, it has now become possible to engineer plants expressing stress-inducible genes under the control of an inducible promoter, enhancing their ability to withstand adverse conditions. This review briefly discusses the synthesis of ABA, components of the ABA signal transduction pathway and the plants' responses at the genetic and epigenetic levels. It further focuses on the role of RNAs in regulating stress responses and various approaches to develop stress-tolerant transgenic plants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology & Sciences, Pilani, Rajasthan 333031, India; G(o) Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, 1919-1, Onnason, Okinawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Rajesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mehrotra
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology & Sciences, Pilani, Rajasthan 333031, India.
authors.forename: Purva
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bhalothia
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology & Sciences, Pilani, Rajasthan 333031, India; Cancer Science Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Prashali
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bansal
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology, University of Pittsburgh, 200 Lothrop Street, BST E1140, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
authors.forename: Mahesh Kumar
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Basantani
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, St. Columba's College, Vinoba Bhave University, Hazaribagh, India.
authors.forename: Vandana
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bharti
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology & Sciences, Pilani, Rajasthan 333031, India. Electronic address: sandhyamehrotrabits@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sandhya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mehrotra
mesh_terms: D000040:Abscisic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018749:RNA, Plant / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins; D018749:RNA, Plant; D000040:Abscisic Acid
keywords: ABA signaling; ACGT cis element; Abiotic stress; Abscisic acid; Protein phosphatase 2C