Gene regulation by H2S in plants

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is considered as a vital gaso-signaling multitasking molecule with effects on multiple biochemical and molecular processes in most living organisms, including plants. The transcriptional control of genes is an underlying mechanism through which plants govern the organized programs of developmental transition, metabolism, and defense. The coordinated network of different signaling pathways manages the plant responses to environmental factors. Signal perception and transduction are associated with organized involvements of a plethora of regulatory elements among which epigenetic chromatin-remodeling systems, transcription factors, and miRNAs are of critical importance. In this chapter, we particularly focus on the H2S functions in remodeling transcription programs of genes at multilayered pretranscriptional, transcriptional, and posttranscriptional stages. Emphasis is placed on the crosslink of H2S with miRNAs, transcription factors, epigenetic modifications, and signal transduction. Moreover, H2S interplay with Ca2+, phytohormones, and other signaling agents will also be addressed to gain a better insight into the H2S-mediated gene regulation.