Abstract
Subcellular fractions and the chemical forms of cadmium (Cd) reflect its level of toxicity to plants; however, these effects of exogenous glutathione (GSH) are poorly understood. We exposed two Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) cultivars (IdyII and Harukaze) to 50 µM Cd or 200 µM GSH to investigate the effect of GSH on the Cd uptake, subcellular compartments, and chemical forms. Cd significantly inhibited the plant growth, while GSH supplementation decreased this inhibition. The application of GSH significantly improved the Cd concentration in the roots but reduced that in the shoots and decreased the Cd translocation from root to shoot. The Cd concentration of the root in the cell wall was increased while the concentration in the soluble fraction was decreased when supplied with GSH. The inorganic form (80% ethanol for Cd extraction) in the roots was significantly reduced when treated with GSH. The Cd form extracted by 2% acetic acid (HAC) with low toxicity and immobility were greatly increased. In leaves, the application GSH decreased in any form of Cd form extracted. In conclusion, exogenous GSH decreased the translocation of Cd and alleviated Italian ryegrass Cd toxicity by accumulating more Cd in the root cell wall and immobilizing more Cd in lower toxicity fractions.
Highlights
Cadmium (Cd), a toxic pollutant that accumulates in arable soils and water, is readily taken up by plant roots and transported to other parts, posing a hazard to the safety of the ecosystem and human health through the food chain [1,2]
Application of exogenous materials, such as sulfide and nitrous oxide (NO), was shown to reduce Cd absorption and stimulate crop growth. These exogenous materials were characterized by the functions of modifying the subcellular distribution and chemical forms of Cd in plants, and they were expected to apply for mitigating Cd toxicity in crop plants [2,6,7]
We aimed to investigate the Cd uptake, subcellular distribution, and chemical forms in Italian ryegrass in response to Cd stress applied with exogenous GSH
Summary
Cadmium (Cd), a toxic pollutant that accumulates in arable soils and water, is readily taken up by plant roots and transported to other parts, posing a hazard to the safety of the ecosystem and human health through the food chain [1,2]. Application of exogenous materials, such as sulfide and nitrous oxide (NO), was shown to reduce Cd absorption and stimulate crop growth. These exogenous materials were characterized by the functions of modifying the subcellular distribution and chemical forms of Cd in plants, and they were expected to apply for mitigating Cd toxicity in crop plants [2,6,7]. Previous studies indicated that the subcellular distribution and chemical forms of heavy metals were associated with heavy metal tolerance and detoxification in plants [8,9,10]. The cell wall and vacuoles play important roles for Cd detoxification in different plant species. Most Cd was shown to attach in the cell wall, and in Potentilla griffithii leaves, Cd was mainly isolated in
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