Role of Cytochrome P450 Monooxygenase in Plants Drought Stress Tolerance

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) monooxygenase is the major enzymatic protein superfamily that is found in all organisms. Members of this compound family are found in multiple metabolic pathways and catalyze numerous biochemical reactions. For example, in plants, CYP monooxygenase has been documented to synthesize various metabolites that work as growth and developmental signals and/or protect plants from various environmental stressors. The two major environmental stressors in plants are the biotic and abiotic stressors. The environmental stressors caused by living organisms are known as biotic stressors. The biotic stressors include diseases, insect attack, and weeds. On the other hand, abiotic stressors are caused by nonliving components of the environment, such as temperature, drought, and heavy metals. CYP genes have been effective in signaling various hormones to assist plants in tolerating these biotic and abiotic stressors. For example, the abscisic acid plays an essential role in heat and cold stress response in plants. In this chapter, we discuss on the role of CYP monooxygenase in abiotic stress tolerance, with special interest in drought tolerance. Due to climate change leading to fast Sahara encroachment in Africa, this chapter also focuses on analyzing the roles of CYP in mediating plant growth and development under drought stress to provide insights into their possibilities of being utilized in plant breeding for a climate-smart agriculture.