Specific Changes in Morphology and Dynamics of Plant Mitochondria under Abiotic Stress

Abstract

As the global climate continues to warm and the greenhouse effect intensifies, plants are facing various abiotic stresses during their growth and development. In response to changes in natural environment, plant mitochondria regulate their functions through morphological and dynamic changes. Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles with the ability to continuously cleavage and fuse, regulating dynamic homeostatic processes in response to the needs of organism growth and the changes in external environmental conditions. In this review, we introduced the structure of the outer and inner mitochondrial membrane and discussed the relevant factors that influence the morphological changes in mitochondria, including proteins and lipids. The morphological and dynamic changes in mitochondria under various abiotic stresses were also revisited. This study aims to discuss a series of changes in plant mitochondrial ultrastructure under abiotic stress. It is very important that we analyze the association between plant mitochondrial functions and morphological and dynamic changes under stress to maintain mitochondrial homeostasis and improve plant stress resistance. It also provides a new idea for plant modification and genetic breeding under the dramatic change in global natural environment.

Keywords

• mitochondria
• morphological and dynamic changes
• mitochondrial ultrastructure
• cristae
• abiotic stress
• oxidative stress