Persulfidation protects from oxidative stress under nonphotorespiratory conditions in Arabidopsis

<bold>Hydrogen sulfide is a signaling molecule in plants that regulates essential biological processes through protein persulfidation</bold>. However, little is known about sulfide-mediated regulation in relation to photorespiration. <bold>Here</bold>, we performed label-free quantitative proteomic analysis and observed a high impact on protein persulfidation levels when plants grown under nonphotorespiratory conditions were transferred to air, with 98.7% of the identified proteins being more persulfidated under suppressed photorespiration. Interestingly, a higher level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was detected under nonphotorespiratory conditions. <bold>Analysis of the effect of sulfide on aspects associated with non</bold>- or photorespiratory growth conditions has demonstrated that it protects plants grown under suppressed photorespiration. Thus, sulfide amends the imbalance of carbon/nitrogen and restores ATP levels to concentrations like those of air-grown plants; balances the high level of ROS in plants under nonphotorespiratory conditions to reach a cellular redox state similar to that in air-grown plants; and regulates stomatal closure, to decrease the high guard cell ROS levels and induce stomatal aperture. In this way, sulfide signals the CO2-dependent stomata movement, in the opposite direction of the established abscisic acid-dependent movement. <bold>Our findings suggest that the high persulfidation level under suppressed photorespiration reveals an essential role of sulfide signaling under these conditions</bold>.