ROS Are Good.
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are thought to play a dual role in plant biology. They are required for many important signaling reactions, but are also toxic byproducts of aerobic metabolism. Recent studies revealed that ROS are necessary for the progression of several basic biological processes including cellular proliferation and differentiation. Moreover, cell death-that was previously thought to be the outcome of ROS directly killing cells by oxidation, in other words via oxidative stress-is now considered to be the result of ROS triggering a physiological or programmed pathway for cell death. This Opinion focuses on the possibility that ROS are beneficial to plants, supporting cellular proliferation, physiological function, and viability, and that maintaining a basal level of ROS in cells is essential for life.
Department of Biological Sciences and BioDiscovery Institute, College of Arts and Sciences, University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle #305220, Denton, TX 76203, USA. Electronic address: ron.mittler@unt.edu.
Ron
R
Mittler
D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology
D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species
ROS; ROS network; oxidative stress; redox biology