Mechanisms of heat tolerance in crop plants

Abstract

Due to possible climate changes, heat stress has obtained a serious concern all over the world. Tolerance to this stress via knowledge of metabolic pathways will help us in engineering heat tolerant plants. A group of proteins called heat shock proteins are synthesized following stress and their synthesis is regulated by transcription factors. Under high temperature (HT), reactive oxygen species (ROS) are often induced and can cause damage to lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. To scavenge the ROS and maintain cell membrane stability, synthesis of antioxidants, osmolytes, and heat shock proteins is of a vital importance. In view of above mentioned, this review highlights the detailed mechanism of pathways involving crucial steps that change during HT stress.

Keywords

• antioxidant defence system
• cell membrane stability
• heat shock proteins
• osmolytes
• reactive oxygen species