Production and Scavenging of Reactive Oxygen Species and Redox Signaling during Leaf and Flower Senescence: Similar But Different

Abstract

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a key role in the regulation of many developmental processes, including senescence, and in plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Several mechanisms of ROS generation and scavenging are similar, but others differ between senescing leaves and petals, despite these organs sharing a common evolutionary origin. Photosynthesis-derived ROS, nutrient remobilization, and reversibility of senescence are necessarily distinct features of the progression of senescence in the two organs. Furthermore, recent studies have revealed specific redox signaling processes that act in concert with phytohormones and transcription factors to regulate senescence-associated genes in leaves and petals. Here, we review some of the recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms underpinning the production and elimination of ROS in these two organs. We focus on unveiling common and differential aspects of redox signaling in leaf and petal senescence, with the aim of linking physiological, biochemical, and molecular processes. We conclude that the spatiotemporal impact of ROS in senescing tissues differs between leaves and flowers, mainly due to the specific functionalities of these organs.