Hydrogen peroxide reprograms plant oxygen sensing to enable post-flood recovery
Submergence reduces O2, stabilizing ERFVII transcription factors by lowering PCO activity to trigger hypoxia responses. After desubmergence, a burst of reactive oxygen species (notably H2O2) inhibits PCOs, stabilizing ERFVIIs even in reoxygenated conditions. These ERFVIIs stay bound to hypoxia-responsive promoters but switch their output to repress hypoxia markers and induce ROS homeostasis and oxidative-stress defenses, coordinating recovery. ERFVII mutants show poorer survival and growth after reoxygenation, underscoring ERFVIIs’ role in post-hypoxia tolerance. The data reveal a direct cross-talk: H2O2 inhibits PCO activity and oxidizes N-terminal Cys, linking O2 sensing to ROS signaling to promote plant survival after flooding.
