Glutathione Is a Key Player in Metal-Induced Oxidative Stress Defenses

• Main Authors: Jaco Vangronsveld, Ann Cuypers, Tony Remans, Marijke Jozefczak
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2012-03-01
• Series: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Subjects: metals; cellular redox state; glutathione; chelation
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/13/3/3145/

Since the industrial revolution, the production, and consequently the emission of metals, has increased exponentially, overwhelming the natural cycles of metals in many ecosystems. Metals display a diverse array of physico-chemical properties such as essential versus non-essential and redox-active versus non-redox-active. In general, all metals can lead to toxicity and oxidative stress when taken up in excessive amounts, imposing a serious threat to the environment and human health. In order to cope with different kinds of metals, plants possess defense strategies in which glutathione (GSH; γ-glu-cys-gly) plays a central role as chelating agent, antioxidant and signaling component. Therefore, this review highlights the role of GSH in: (1) metal homeostasis; (2) antioxidative defense; and (3) signal transduction under metal stress. The diverse functions of GSH originate from the sulfhydryl group in cysteine, enabling GSH to chelate metals and participate in redox cycling.