Induction of alternative respiratory pathway involves nitric oxide, hydrogen peroxide and ethylene under salt stress.

Alternative respiratory pathway (AP) plays an important role in plant thermogenesis, fruit ripening and responses to environmental stresses. AP may participate in the adaptation to salt stress since salt stress increased the activity of the AP. Recently, new evidence revealed that ethylene and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) are involved in the salt-induced increase of the AP, which plays an important role in salt tolerance in Arabidopsis callus, and ethylene may be acting downstream of H(2)O(2). Recent observations also indicated both ethylene and nitric oxide (NO) act as signaling molecules in responses to salt stress, and ethylene may be a part of the downstream signal molecular in NO action. In this addendum, a hypothetical model for NO function in regulation of H(2)O(2)- and ethylene-mediated induction of AP under salt stress is presented.