Where biotic and abiotic stress responses converge: Common patterns in response to salinity and Plum pox virus infection in pea and peach plants

Herbaceous and woody plants display specific mechanisms allowing them to adapt and survive to a broad variety of environmental stresses. Nevertheless, all plant species share certain basic physiological and biochemical mechanisms. Under both abiotic and biotic challenges, the extent to which reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulate relies on the antioxidative system, which is in charge to maintain cellular homeostasis and prevent ROS damage. Moreover, a tight control of ROS production is crucial so that they perform their signalling function. Thus, antioxidative metabolism and redox biology are key players in the physiological response to stress. However, little attention has been paid to the overlapping mechanisms and convergent pathways of antioxidant metabolism between abiotic and biotic stress responses. In the present review, the responses of an herbaceous plant (Pisum sativum L.) and a woody plant (Prunus persica L.) against two forms of stress-salinity and infection by Plum pox virus-were compared, placing emphasis on common response patterns. This information may serve to devise agronomic approaches conferring stress tolerance to many economically relevant crops.