The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a key compartment responsible for protein processing and folding, and it also participates in many signal transduction and metabolic processes. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are important signaling messengers involved in the redox equilibrium and stress response. A number of abiotic and biotic stresses can trigger the accumulation of unfolded or misfolded proteins and lead to ER stress. In recent years, a number of studies have reported that redox metabolism and ROS are closely related to ER stress. ER stress can benefit ROS generation and even cause oxidative burden in plants, finally leading to oxidative stress depending on the degree of ER stress. Moreover, ER stress activates nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase-mediated ROS signaling, increases antioxidant defense mechanisms, and alters the glutathione (GSH) redox state. Meanwhile, the accumulation of ROS plays a special role in inducing the ER stress response. Given these factors, plants have evolved a series of complex regulatory mechanisms to interact with ROS in response to ER stress. In this review, we summarize the perceptions and responses of plant ER stress and oxidative protein folding in the ER. In addition, we analyze the production and signaling of ROS under ER stress in detail in order to provide a theoretical basis for reducing ER stress to improve the crop survival rate in agricultural applications.
Keywords: endoplasmic reticulum stress; plants; reactive oxygen species; redox homeostasis; redox stress.