Physiological role of hydrogen sulfide in seed germination and seedling development under stress conditions

ABSTRACT

Seed germination is one of the key processes in nature, with several studies focused on improving this process. One successful strategy is to expose seeds to hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), a cytotoxic reactive molecule at high concentrations, but a signaling molecule with positive physiological effects at low concentrations. This review describes and discusses (1) the signaling and physiological effects of H₂S over the seeds’ up-regulated antioxidant activities, to diminish the damage caused by reactive oxygen species, (2) the antagonism of H₂S towards ethylene via the down-regulation and persulfidation of enzymes involved in ethylene synthase production, and also by decreasing the sensitivity of ethylene receptors, (3) the impacts of persulfidation in mitochondria and their implication in the electron transport chain, and (4) the enzymes that are affected by H₂S, its interaction with abscisic acid, drought, heat, and salinity, as well as its influence on biological nitrogen fixation. H₂S regulates abiotic stress tolerance by affecting stress-related genes. This review further provides an overview of the biological role of H₂S in seed germination and its potential use to improve the establishment of plants. The use of H₂S to establish biotechnological strategies to minimize stress factors is a promising approach to improve crop productivity.

KEYWORDS:

• Seed quality
• h₂s treatment
• stress tolerance
• phenotypic improvement
• reactive oxygen species

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) for financial support, PNPD/CAPES for the scholarship of Andréia Caverzan and Prosup/CAPES scholarship of Luciano Antônio Ebone.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).