Abstract
As sessile organisms, plants usually experience several stresses simultaneously. It was shown that stress cross-tolerance may be induced by different stressors, including biotic factors as well as heavy metal, hypoxia, ultraviolet-B radiation, heat, high salt, drought, and cold stresses. However, it is unclear whether there is a cross-tolerance toward cold and lead (Pb) stresses in Arabidopsis. In this study, we showed that cold pretreatment enhanced Pb(II) resistance in Arabidopsis, as indicated by lower reduction of root length, fresh weight, and chlorophyll content in the cold-treated plants than the control ones. In the cold-treated seedlings, lower Pb contents were detected in roots and shoots in comparison to the control. This was associated, at least in part, with the activation of the expression of AtPDR12 gene, a pump excluding Pb(II) and/or Pb(II)-containing toxic compounds from the cytoplasm to the exterior of the cell. This finding was further supported by genetic evidence showing that cold treatment was unable to enhance resistance of atpdr12 mutant to Pb(II) stress but could enhance Pb(II) resistance of the wild type. In addition, we also found that cold-induced enhanced Pb(II) resistance was glutathione-independent. Taken together, all these results suggest that cold treatment enhanced Pb(II) resistance in Arabidopsis, at least in part, by activating the expression of AtPDR12 gene.
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