Is there a room for GABA in ROS and RNS signalling?

Plants have evolved different signalling pathways not only to maintain their life and survival but also for coping with different environmental stresses. Analysing and understanding the components of such sophisticated networks would contribute to improve crop performance and yield in challenging environments. Recent evidences suggest that reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are major players in these signalling routes in plants although for long time they were considered only for their toxic effects. The unique non-protein amino acid, ?-aminobutyric acid (GABA) has long been designated to be a signalling molecule in plants in relation to its function as a neurotransmission inhibitor in animals. All of these molecules have similarities and unique features hence to date several studies were conducted to decipher their mode of action in plants. Here we aimed to provide a new perspective to a plausible ROS and/or RNS signalling and GABA-shunt interaction by means of the most recent and relevant literature. We focused on Ca +2 signalling, polyamine biosynthesis, photorespiration, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and, a post-translation modification- succinylation- which are the most likely processes where a potential interplay between ROS, RNS and GABA-shunt might take place. © 2019 Elsevier B.V