Abstract
Lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) are a class of small, cationic proteins that bind and transfer lipids and play an important role in plant defense. However, their precise biological role in plants under adverse conditions including salinity and possible regulation by stress hormone abscisic acid (ABA) remains unknown. In this work, we studied the localization of LTPs and ABA in the roots of pea plants using specific antibodies. Presence of LTPs was detected on the periphery of the cells mainly located in the phloem. Mild salt stress (50 mM NaCI) led to slowing plant growth and higher immunostaining for LTPs in the phloem. The deposition of suberin in Casparian bands located in the endoderma revealed with Sudan III was shown to be more intensive under salt stress and coincided with the increased LTP staining. All obtained data suggest possible functions of LTPs in pea roots. We assume that these proteins can participate in stress-induced pea root suberization or in transport of phloem lipid molecules. Salt stress increased ABA immunostaining in pea root cells but its localization was different from that of the LTPs. Thus, we failed to confirm the hypothesis regarding the direct influence of ABA on the level of LTPs in the salt-stressed root cells.
Highlights
Lipids play an important role in plant life
Salt treatment of pea plants during one day did not influence plant growth, but in seven days, the treatment led to a decrease in the height of the aerial parts from 8.4 to 6.2 cm (n = 10 for each variant, the difference was significant at p ≤ 0.05, t-test)
An immunohistochemical study of sections of the roots of control pea plants using serum containing polyclonal anti-Lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) antibodies of the IgG class showed increased staining mainly around the perimeter of the cells
Summary
Lipids play an important role in plant life They enable waterproof cover that protects plants from adverse effects, perform storage and energy functions, participate in the formation of membranes, cellular differentiation, and intra- and intercellular signaling. LTPs are believed to be involved in many processes in plants associated with lipid transport and metabolism [2] These proteins take part in the biosynthesis of lipid polymer sporopollenin, which comprises the outer walls of spores and pollen seeds as well as in the formation of hydrophobic layers of cutin and suberin, which form protective water-impermeable barriers in different plant organs (for example, Casparian bands in roots) [7,8,9]. Induction of the synthesis of LTPs in different plant organs occurs
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