Insight into abscisic acid perception and signaling to increase plant tolerance to abiotic stress

Authors: REHMAN, ABDUL - Bahauddin Zakariya University; AZHAR, MUHAMMAD TEHSEE - Bahauddin Zakariya University; Hinze, Lori; QAYYUM, ABDUL - Bahauddin Zakariya University; LI, HONGGE - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences; PENG, ZHEN - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences; QIN, GUANGYONG - Zhengzhou University; JIA, YINHUA - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences; PAN, ZHAOE - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences; HE, SHOUPU - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences; DU, XIONGMING - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences

Submitted to: Journal of Plant Interactions
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/30/2021
Publication Date: 5/21/2021
Citation: Rehman, A., Azhar, M., Hinze, L.L., Qayyum, A., Li, H., Peng, Z., Qin, G., Jia, Y., Pan, Z., He, S., Du, X. 2021. Insight into abscisic acid perception and signaling to increase plant tolerance to abiotic stress. Journal of Plant Interactions. 16(1):222-237. https://doi.org/10.1080/17429145.2021.1925759.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17429145.2021.1925759

Interpretive Summary: The complex pathways of abscisic acid production in plants are reviewed, including the role of this hormone in defending plants against abiotic stresses including excess salt, drought, high temperatures and low temperatures. A large amount of research is available to explain the role of abscisic acid in stress tolerance; however, its complex pathways have many modifiers and regulators whose roles in plant stress tolerance are not fully understood. Abscisic acid plays major roles in opening and closing stomates (i.e. pores) on the leaf surfaces as well as in the process of aging in plants in response to stress or normal developmental aging. In addition, it has roles in seed maturation and seed dormancy. This review examines the interaction of regulatory components in the complex network of pathways through which abscisic acid is produced and discusses the potential for biotechnology applications to enhance these regulatory mechanisms and increase stress tolerance in plants.

Technical Abstract: As changes occur in climate, abiotic stress to agricultural production is an inevitable threat to farmers' ability to meet an increasing demand to feed people. Plants have developed a stress tolerance mechanism to reduce the effects of such environmental conditions by engaging various stress-responsive genes. Accordingly, various signal transduction networks are used to fabricate stress tolerance. Engineering of the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) could be a choice method for scientists to mitigate abiotic stress because of its widespread role in response to salt, drought, heat, and cold stresses including triggering stomatal regulation and leaf senescence. In addition, it plays a crucial role in seed maturation, seed dormancy, stomatal opening/closure and increases resistance against pathogens through callose depositions and regulates physiological strategies in stress signaling pathways through synchronizing of hormonal crosstalk. The transcriptional regulation can be achieved through ABA-dependent and ABA-independent signaling cascades. ABAI5 and RD29A genes are regulated in ABA-dependent and independent manners to mitigate stress tolerance. ABA regulatory components including pyrabactin resistance PYR/PYL genes, SnRK2 type protein kinases, transcription factors (WRKY, NAC, AREB1, bZIP, RGL2, and ABRE), reactive oxygen species, jasmonic acid and cytokinin hormones regulate ABA gene action in response to abiotic stresses.