Carotenoid oxidation products are stress signals that mediate gene responses to singlet oxygen in plants

1O2 (singlet oxygen) is a reactive O2 species produced from triplet excited chlorophylls in the chloroplasts, especially when plants are exposed to excess light energy. Similarly to other active O2 species, 1O2 has a dual effect: It is toxic, causing oxidation of biomolecules, and it can act as a signal molecule that leads to cell death or to acclimation. Carotenoids are considered to be the main 1O2 quenchers in chloroplasts, and we show here that light stress induces the oxidation of the carotenoid β-carotene in Arabidopsis plants, leading to the accumulation of different volatile derivatives. One such compound, β-cyclocitral, was found to induce changes in the expression of a large set of genes that have been identified as 1O2 responsive genes. In contrast, β-cyclocitral had little effect on the expression of H2O2 gene markers. β-Cyclocitral–induced reprogramming of gene expression was associated with an increased tolerance to photooxidative stress. The results indicate that β-cyclocitral is a stress signal produced in high light that is able to induce defense mechanisms and represents a likely messenger involved in the 1O2 signaling pathway in plants.