Plant and Soil

, Volume 375, Issue 1–2, pp 275–287 | Cite as

Role of heme oxygenase-1 in spermidine-induced alleviation of salt toxicity during alfalfa seed germination

  • Kaikai Zhu
  • Jing Zhang
  • Weiti Cui
  • Qijiang Jin
  • Muhammad Kaleem Samma
  • Wenbiao Shen
Regular Article
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:

Abstract

Aims

This study investigated molecular mechanism of spermidine (Spd)-mediated enhancement of tolerance against salinity during alfalfa seed germination.

Methods

A combination of histochemical, physiological and molecular approaches was used to study the effect of Spd on the alleviation of salt toxicity.

Results

Exogenously applied Spd (100 μM) and a heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) inducer hemin (10 μM) not only up-regulated alfalfa HO-1 gene expression and increased its protein level and activity, but also significantly alleviated the inhibitory effects of 100 mM NaCl on seed germination and seedling growth. K+ to Na+ ratio was also increased. Further results revealed that total, isozymatic activities or corresponding transcripts of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and guaiacol peroxidase (POD), were induced differentially. These antioxidant behaviors were confirmed by histochemical staining for the detection of lipid peroxidation and the loss of plasma membrane integrity. Above cytoprotective role of Spd is specific for HO-1 because the inhibitor of HO-1 significantly suppressed above responses, and some of the inhibitory effects were reversed when 10 % carbon monoxide (CO)-saturated aqueous solution was added.

Conclusions

Together, our results suggested that Spd-mediated alleviation of NaCl toxicity during alfalfa seed germination acts, at least partially, in a HO-1-dependent pathway.

Keywords

Heme oxygenase-1 Ion homeostasis Medicago sativa Oxidative damage Salinity Seed germination Spermidine 

Abbreviations

APX

Ascorbate peroxidase

BR

Bilirubin

BV

Biliverdin

CO

Carbon monoxide

HO

Heme oxygenase

HO-1

Heme oxygenase-1

LOX

Lipoxygenase

MSC27

Medicago sativa cDNA 27

POD

Guaiacol peroxidase

ROS

Reactive oxygen species

SOD

Superoxide dismutase

Spd

Spermidine

ZnPP

Zinc protoporphyrin IX

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Notes

Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (J1210056,J1310015), and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD).

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013

Authors and Affiliations

  • Kaikai Zhu
    • 1
  • Jing Zhang
    • 1
  • Weiti Cui
    • 1
  • Qijiang Jin
    • 1
  • Muhammad Kaleem Samma
    • 1
  • Wenbiao Shen
    • 1
  1. 1.College of Life SciencesNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingChina

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