Cytochrome P450s (CYPs) are the largest enzyme family involved in NADPH- and/or O2-dependent hydroxylation reactions across all the domains of life. In plants and animals, CYPs play a central role in the detoxification of xenobiotics. In addition to this function, CYPs act as versatile catalysts and play a crucial role in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, antioxidants, and phytohormones in higher plants. The molecular and biochemical processes catalyzed by CYPs have been well characterized, however, the relationship between the biochemical process catalyzed by CYPs and its effect on several plant functions was not well established. The advent of next-generation sequencing opened new avenues to unravel the involvement of CYPs in several plant functions such as plant stress response. The expression of several CYP genes are regulated in response to environmental stresses, and they also play a prominent role in the crosstalk between abiotic and biotic stress responses. CYPs have an enormous potential to be used as a candidate for engineering crop species resilient to biotic and abiotic stresses. The objective of this review is to summarize the latest research on the role of CYPs in plant stress response.
Keywords: antioxidants; cytochrome P450; plant metabolism; plant stress response.