Leaf Senescence: The Chloroplast Connection Comes of Age
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Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR-UNR/CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR), 2000 Rosario, Argentina
2
Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, OT Gatersleben, Corrensstrasse, D-06466 Stadt Seeland, Germany
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Plants 2019, 8(11), 495; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8110495
Received: 15 October 2019
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Revised: 5 November 2019
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Accepted: 6 November 2019
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Published: 12 November 2019
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Leaf Senescence)
Leaf senescence is a developmental process critical for plant fitness, which involves genetically controlled cell death and ordered disassembly of macromolecules for reallocating nutrients to juvenile and reproductive organs. While natural leaf senescence is primarily associated with aging, it can also be induced by environmental and nutritional inputs including biotic and abiotic stresses, darkness, phytohormones and oxidants. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are a common thread in stress-dependent cell death and also increase during leaf senescence. Involvement of chloroplast redox chemistry (including ROS propagation) in modulating cell death is well supported, with photosynthesis playing a crucial role in providing redox-based signals to this process. While chloroplast contribution to senescence received less attention, recent findings indicate that changes in the redox poise of these organelles strongly affect senescence timing and progress. In this review, the involvement of chloroplasts in leaf senescence execution is critically assessed in relation to available evidence and the role played by environmental and developmental cues such as stress and phytohormones. The collected results indicate that chloroplasts could cooperate with other redox sources (e.g., mitochondria) and signaling molecules to initiate the committed steps of leaf senescence for a best use of the recycled nutrients in plant reproduction.
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Keywords:
senescence; reactive oxygen species; chloroplast; phytohormones; photosynthetic electron transport chain
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MDPI and ACS Style
Mayta, M.L.; Hajirezaei, M.-R.; Carrillo, N.; Lodeyro, A.F. Leaf Senescence: The Chloroplast Connection Comes of Age. Plants 2019, 8, 495. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8110495
AMA Style
Mayta ML, Hajirezaei M-R, Carrillo N, Lodeyro AF. Leaf Senescence: The Chloroplast Connection Comes of Age. Plants. 2019; 8(11):495. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8110495
Chicago/Turabian StyleMayta, Martín L., Mohammad-Reza Hajirezaei, Néstor Carrillo, and Anabella F. Lodeyro. 2019. "Leaf Senescence: The Chloroplast Connection Comes of Age" Plants 8, no. 11: 495. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8110495
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