Plant Glutathione Transferases in Abiotic Stress Response and Herbicide Resistance

Plant responses and adaptations to stress conditions are of great interest for both basic and applied science, and represent the key factors for the improvement of economically important crops worldwide. Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs, EC. 2.5.1.18) are multifunctional enzymes encoded by a highly divergent ancient gene family. GSTs catalyze the conjugation of tripeptide glutathione (GSH) with endogenous electrophilic compounds (secondary metabolites, hydroperoxides) and xenobiotics, such as herbicides, leading to their cellular detoxification. Therefore, GSTs are implicated in metabolism-based herbicide resistance in crop weeds. This chapter discusses the involvement of plant GSTs in abiotic stress response with focus on metabolism-based herbicide resistance and attempts to give an overview of their catalytic roles and in planta function.