Cytosolic ascorbate peroxidase 1 protects organelles against oxidative stress by wounding- and jasmonate-induced H2O2 in Arabidopsis plants

Background

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are not only cytotoxic compounds leading to oxidative damage, but also signaling molecules for regulating plant responses to stress and hormones. Arabidopsis cytosolic ascorbate peroxidase 1 (APX1) is thought to be a central regulator for cellular ROS levels. However, it remains unclear whether APX1 is involved in plant tolerance to wounding and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatment, which are known to enhance ROS production.

Methods

We studied the effect of wounding and MeJA treatment on the levels of H₂O₂ and oxidative damage in the Arabidopsis wild-type plants and knockout mutants lacking APX1 (KO-APX1).

Results

The KO-APX1 plants showed high sensitivity to wounding and MeJA treatment. In the leaves of wild-type plants, H₂O₂ accumulated only in the vicinity of the wound, while in the leaves of the KO-APX1 plants it accumulated extensively from damaged to undamaged regions. During MeJA treatment, the levels of H₂O₂ were much higher in the leaves of KO-APX1 plants. Oxidative damage in the chloroplasts and nucleus was also enhanced in the leaves of KO-APX1 plants. These findings suggest that APX1 protects organelles against oxidative stress by wounding and MeJA treatment.

General significance

This is the first report demonstrating that H₂O₂-scavenging in the cytosol is essential for plant tolerance to wounding and MeJA treatment.