Abstract
The effects of aluminum (Al) on the activities of antioxidant enzymes and ferritin expression were studied in cell suspension cultures of two varieties of Coffea arabica, Mundo Novo and Icatu, in medium with pH at 5.8. The cells were incubated with 300 µM Al3+, and the Al speciation as Al3+ was 1.45% of the mole fraction. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione S-transferase (GST) were increased in Mundo Novo, whereas glutathione reductase (GR) and guaiacol peroxidase (GPOX) activities remained unchanged. SOD, GR, and GST activities were increased in Icatu, while CAT activity was not changed, and GPOX activity decreased. The expression of two ferritin genes (CaFer1 and CaFer2) were analyzed by Real-Time PCR. Al caused a downregulation of CaFER1 expression and no changes of CaFER2 expression in both varieties. The Western blot showed no alteration in ferritin protein levels in Mundo Novo and a decrease in Icatu. The differential enzymes responses indicate that the response to Al is variety-dependent.
Highlights
Many types of abiotic and biotic stresses induce the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plant cells (Boscolo et al 2003)
The major recognised symptom of Al toxicity is the inhibition of root growth, but it can provoke a reduction in respiration and ATP synthesis (Delhaize & Ryan 1995, Yamamoto et al 2003)
RT-qPCR and Western blot analyses of ferritin - Al induced a downregulation of CaFER1 expression in suspension cells of the varieties Mundo Novo (p < 0.05, figure 2A) and Icatu (p < 0.05, figure 2B) of C. arabica
Summary
Many types of abiotic and biotic stresses induce the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plant cells (Boscolo et al 2003). Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Departamento de Genética, Evolução e Bioagentes, Instituto de Biologia, Caixa Postal 6109, Aluminum (Al) is not a transition metal and cannot catalyze redox reactions; the Al3+, the most toxic of the soluble forms of Al, is involvement in the induction of oxidative stress in many plant species (Yamamoto et al 2003). Al is the major growth-limiting factor for plants on acid soils, and at micromolar concentrations it can inhibit plant root growth (Kochian et al 2002) Due these aspects, Al toxicity is becoming an economically important issue, because acid soil comprise up 70% of the world’s arable lands, limiting the growth of important food crops and causing severe food losses (Kochian et al 2002, Chen et al 2010). The major recognised symptom of Al toxicity is the inhibition of root growth, but it can provoke a reduction in respiration and ATP synthesis (Delhaize & Ryan 1995, Yamamoto et al 2003)
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