It is well established that oxidative stress is an important cause of cellular damage. During stress conditions, plants have evolved regulatory mechanisms to adapt to various environmental stresses. One of the consequences of stress is an increase in the cellular concentration of reactive oxygen species, which is subsequently converted to H2O2. H2O2 is continuously produced as the byproduct of oxidative plant aerobic metabolism. Organelles with a high oxidizing metabolic activity or with an intense rate of electron flow, such as chloroplasts, mitochondria, or peroxisomes are major sources of H2O2 production. H2O2 acts as a versatile molecule because of its dual role in cells. Under normal conditions, H2O2 immerges as an important factor during many biological processes. It has been established that it acts as a secondary messenger in signal transduction networks. In this review, we discuss potential roles of H2O2 and other signaling molecules during various stress responses.

Plants are known to have many secondary metabolites and phytochemical compounds which are highly explored at biochemical and molecular genetics level and exploited enormously in the human health care sector. However, there are other less explored small molecular weight proteins, which inhibit proteases/proteinases. Plants are good sources of protease inhibitors (PIs) which protect them against diseases, insects, pests, and herbivores. In the past, proteinaceous PIs were considered primarily as protein-degrading enzymes. Nevertheless, this view has significantly changed and PIs are now treated as very important signaling molecules in many biological activities such as inflammation, apoptosis, blood clotting and hormone processing. In recent years, PIs have been examined extensively as therapeutic agents, primarily to deal with various human cancers. Interestingly, many plant-based PIs are also found to be effective against cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, inflammatory diseases and neurological disorders. Several plant PIs are under further evaluation in in vitro clinical trials. Among all types of PIs, Bowman-Birk inhibitors (BBI) have been studied extensively in the treatment of many diseases, especially in the field of cancer prevention. So far, crops such as beans, potatoes, barley, squash, millet, wheat, buckwheat, groundnut, chickpea, pigeonpea, corn, and pineapple have been identified as good sources of PIs. The PI content of such foods has a significant influence on human health disorders, particularly in the regions where people mostly depend on these kind of foods. These natural PIs vary in concentration, protease specificity, heat stability, and sometimes several PIs may be present in the same species or tissue. However, it is important to carry out individual studies to identify the potential effects of each PI on human health. PIs in plants make them incredible sources to determine novel PIs with specific pharmacological and therapeutic effects due to their peculiarity and superabundance.

Key message This review gives a comprehensive overview of adaptations of mangrove root system to the adverse environmental conditions and summarizes the ecological importance of mangrove root to the ecosystem. Abstract In plants, the first line of defense against abiotic stress is in their roots. If the soil surrounding the plant root is healthy and biologically diverse, the plant will have a higher chance to survive in stressful conditions. Different plant species have unique adaptations when exposed to a variety of abiotic stress conditions. None of the responses are identical, even though plants have become adapted to the exact same environment. Mangrove plants have developed complex morphological, anatomical, physiological, and molecular adaptations allowing survival and success in their high-stress habitat. This review briefly depicts adaptive strategies of mangrove roots with respect to anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and also the major advances recently made at the genetic and genomic levels. Results drawn from the different studies on mangrove roots have further indicated that specific patterns of gene expression might contribute to adaptive evolution of mangroves under high salinity. We also review crucial ecological contributions provided by mangrove root communities to the ecosystem including marine fauna.

Key messageWe report a likely candidate gene,CcTFL1,for determinacy in pigeonpea through candidate gene sequencing analysis, mapping, QTL analysis together with comparative genomics and expression profiling.AbstractPigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) is the sixth most important legume crop grown on ~5 million hectares globally. Determinacy is an agronomically important trait selected during pigeonpea domestication. In the present study, seven genes related to determinacy/flowering pattern in pigeonpea were isolated through a comparative genomics approach. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis of these candidate genes on 142 pigeonpea lines found a strong association of SNPs with the determinacy trait for three of the genes. Subsequently, QTL analysis highlighted one gene, CcTFL1, as a likely candidate for determinacy in pigeonpea since it explained 45–96 % of phenotypic variation for determinacy, 45 % for flowering time and 77 % for plant height. Comparative genomics analysis of CcTFL1 with the soybean (Glycine max) and common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) genomes at the micro-syntenic level further enhanced our confidence in CcTFL1 as a likely candidate gene. These findings have been validated by expression analysis that showed down regulation of CcTFL1 in a determinate line in comparison to an indeterminate line. Gene-based markers developed in the present study will allow faster manipulation of the determinacy trait in future breeding programs of pigeonpea and will also help in the development of markers for these traits in other related legume species.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00122-014-2406-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A study was undertaken to know the difference/diversity between pigeonpea and its closely related wild species C. cajanifolius by studying their morphology, crossability, cytology of the hybrid between the two, and molecular studies. Studies revealed that there are at least 5-6 traits that separate the two species such as flower morphology, pod color and morphology, pod constriction, seed color and strophiole, 100 seed weight that separate C. cajan from C. cajanifolius. Molecular studies revealed that a genetic dissimilarity index value ranging from 0.81 to 0.94 exists between the two species.