Hydrogen sulfide inhibits the abscission of tomato pedicel through reconstruction of a basipetal auxin gradient

Recent advances and mechanistic interactions of hydrogen sulfide with plant growth regulators in relation to abiotic stress tolerance in plants

Adverse environmental constraints such as drought, heat, cold, salinity, and heavy metal toxicity are the primary concerns of the agricultural industry across the globe, as these stresses negatively affect yield and quality of crop production and therefore can be a major threat to world food security. Recently, it has been demonstrated that hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), which is well-known as a gasotransmitter in animals, also plays a potent role in various growth and developmental processes in plants. H₂S, as a potent signaling molecule, is involved in several plant processes such as in the regulation of stomatal pore movements, seed germination, photosynthesis and plant adaptation to environmental stress through gene regulation, post-translation modification of proteins and redox homeostasis. Moreover, a number of experimental studies have revealed that H₂S could improve the adaptation capabilities of plants against diverse environmental constraints by mitigating the toxic and damaging effects triggered by stressful environments. An attempt has been made to uncover recent development in the biosynthetic and metabolic pathways of H₂S and various physiological functions modulated in plants, H₂S donors, their functional mechanism, and application in plants. Specifically, our focus has been on how H₂S is involved in combating the destructive effects of abiotic stresses and its role in persulfidation. Furthermore, we have comprehensively elucidated the crosstalk of H₂S with plant growth regulators.

Biological Functions of Hydrogen Sulfide in Plants

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), which is a gasotransmitter, can be biosynthesized and participates in various physiological and biochemical processes in plants. H₂S also positively affects plants' adaptation to abiotic stresses. Here, we summarize the specific ways in which H₂S is endogenously synthesized and metabolized in plants, along with the agents and methods used for H₂S research, and outline the progress of research on the regulation of H₂S on plant metabolism and morphogenesis, abiotic stress tolerance, and the series of different post-translational modifications (PTMs) in which H₂S is involved, to provide a reference for future research on the mechanism of H₂S action.